


Journeys... (Part 1/2)

by RebeccaAnabelBurrows



Series: A Study in Soulbonds (Unrelated Works) [20]
Category: DCU, Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26755840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebeccaAnabelBurrows/pseuds/RebeccaAnabelBurrows
Summary: Bruce and Hal meet other versions of them in different worlds and learn a few lessons about love and trust.--EDIT : recaps of each story mentioned at the start of each chapter (brilliant idea from a reader)I - Not your soulmate universeII - What's your number universeIII - Each Touch A Drawing universeIV - Affairs of the Heart universeV - A Feeling of Permanence universeVI - Date me universeVII - I Just Want A Soulmate Who Doesn't Hate Me universeVIII - I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul universeIX - How to talk to guys at housewarming parties universeX - Blood types and other minor inconveniences universeXI - A Penny For Your Thoughts universeXII - The Words on Our Skins universeXIII - These things alone do I now regret : things left unsaid. universeXIV - Journeys end in lovers' meeting universe
Relationships: Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne
Series: A Study in Soulbonds (Unrelated Works) [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687879
Comments: 84
Kudos: 151





	1. Not your soulmate Universe

**Author's Note:**

> Title borrowed to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. 
> 
> -
> 
> I am trying something. Not sure of how well it will go or if I can really commit to it. Please be patient for updates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "Not your soulmate", Hal and Bruce are dating but not actual soulmates in a world were soulmates are supposed to be your everything. Hal's died young and Bruce doesn't have one.  
> They almost break up after Hal's love declaration ("Soulmates aren't everything") because of Bruce's insecurities regarding them not being soulmates but they make up.  
> Diana and Clark are soulmates but Clark doesn't know. Diana and Barry find out about Bruce and Hal dating at the end.
> 
> This fic happens a year after. Both Diana and Clark know they are soulmates by then.

Hal blinked. 

He was surprised to find himself sitting on a chair, in his quarters at the Watchtower. There was an open file in front of him on his desk he didn't remember opening. Well, now that he was thinking about it, he didn’t even remember coming here. 

He really should sleep more, his constant trips to Oa were messing up his memory. His previous whereabouts were a total mystery. He didn't remember anything that had happened after his last flight, just after lunch. 

Someone knocked. Hal turned around. 

"Hal, you're ready ?" a familiar voice asked through the door. 

Hal checked his appearance in the mirror and made his uniform appear. 

"Uh yeah, sure.” he said, opening the door.

He wasn’t certain why Bruce had thought necessary to escort him to the meeting. Meeting he had forgotten about, but Bruce couldn't know that and he didn’t remember having missed any lately. If it was anyone else, he would have thought it was for company but that wasn’t really Bruce’s kind of thing, was it ? 

And what was it with the Hal thing ? He usually was Jordan for Bruce. 

They walked together to the meeting room. The distance between them was shorter than usual and their armored arms brushed against each other several times on the way there. Bruce did absolutely nothing to prevent it and soon enough they reached the right room. 

"Don't be so tense. It will be okay." Bruce said, squeezing Hal's hand before holding the door for him. 

Hal threw him a confused look but went in. Most of their teammates were already there. Hal went to sit next to Barry but Bruce held him back by his wrist.

"Hal." he said, and he was frowning. 

The Green Lantern wasn't sure why but he felt compelled to stay at Bruce's side and shut up. Now didn't seem the right time for questions. He could feel how jittery Bruce was despite his self-control, perceived it in a way he wasn't used to. 

Someone closed the door of the room and Hal barely noticed it. Why was Bruce so nervous ? Why were he and Hal the only ones not seated ? Why did he have the strange feeling that Bruce was his lifeline right now ? 

He straightened, crossing his arms on his chest and Bruce took a discreet step closer to him. 

"Today's reunion is not about League matters. You have been convoked on mine and Hal's behalf. Most of you are aware that we're in a relationship." Bruce said before pausing. 

Hal felt himself blink once, twice, three times. It didn't do anything for his hearing - he was quite certain Bruce had told the League they had been dating. 

Hal wouldn't have minded that much if they had been dating for real. He was quite certain they hadn't but kept his mouth shut. Maybe it was a prank of some sort, or he was dreaming, or it was an elaborate plan or, or…

No one seemed to find it funny however. They were all looking at Bruce expectantly, as if what he had just said was perfectly reasonable and they just wanted him to indulge them and go on. Which he did. 

Bruce offered Hal an hesitant smile, which was definitely a first. Hal tried to smile back not too awkwardly. Bruce intertwined their fingers and that was it, Hal was going to wake up. Soon, hopefully. This was getting embarrassing. 

"Hal and I have an announcement to make. No, we're not having a ceremony. Hal, maybe you want to share why ?" Bruce said, and his voice was velvety soft. 

It was a bit upsetting since he was still wearing his suit. 

What had he asked for, again ? Hal’s participation in something ? Hal was too busy staring at their hands to form coherent thoughts. 

"Er, I am good, thanks. You can go on."

Bruce applied some pressure on Hal’s hand. He looked a bit surprised but mostly concerned.

"I can -" he started saying in a low tone, apparently for Hal’s -and everyone here possessing superhearing - benefit. 

Hal shrugged. He hadn’t a clue about what was happening here. Possibly if he ignored the situation, it would just go away. 

"Do as planned." he said, and his throat felt a bit dry suddenly. 

Bruce nodded and turned his attention back on their audience. 

"Right. We're not having a soul ceremony because despite how much we care for each other, we're not soulmates." Bruce revealed.

The silence was so loud after that Hal wanted to cover his ears and get away from here but Bruce’s hand was still in his and the man hadn’t moved at all. 

"You're not soulmates ?" some voice raised in the assembly. 

Hal turned his attention away from Bruce’s thumb rubbing calming circles on his hand. The atmosphere in the room, until then rather friendly and open, had shifted drastically. Many arms had been crossed, some people were frowning, surprise or outright disgust could be read in many faces. 

Hal shivered slightly and Bruce moved even closer. Hal could feel the heat radiating through his partner’s body. It felt oddly familiar. He had rarely been so close to Bruce. 

"How can you ?" someone spat. 

"Why ?" another voice raised. 

Bruce looked at Hal, shook his head and sighed before speaking up again. His voice had lost all his warmth. It was icy cold now, more adapted to the current atmosphere of hostility surrounding them. 

"Silence, please. We were under no obligation to share this with you. We did because we believe honesty and trust are important in a team. We're not asking for anyone's opinion or judgment on our private lives. We thought it was important to come clean with it but now that it's done, it should be considered dealt with.” 

Some other voices raised. Hal kept his focus on Bruce’s body language. Trusting towards Hal, wary of their current audience. Voices kept rising in the superheroes' ranks.

"This is absurd."

"I need to think about this." 

Hal felt the anger rising in him in waves. Those people were their most trusted friends, people each of them would have trusted with their lives, and they were judging them about some trivial matters ? What the hell ? 

"Hal ? Come on, we should go.” Bruce murmured, tugging at his hand.

Hal followed him through the corridors to Bruce’s own quarters.

“Why did you make us run ?” Hal asked once the door was closed.

He had taken his uniform and shoes off and sat on the queen sized bed instinctively, a leg folded under the other. Bruce hadn’t even protested.

Bruce had removed his cowl and started undoing his suit before answering. 

“A fight wouldn’t have resolved anything. Clark is going to smooth things out and hopefully it’s not going to affect the team too much. I am sorry, Hal. I really thought it would go differently.” Bruce said, letting his now naked hands caress Hal’s cheeks as he kissed his forehead briefly before looking for civilian clothing. 

Some part of Hal’s brain was definitely aware that Bruce stripping in front of him casually, wandering half-naked looking around for clothes and making comforting, intimate gestures as they chatted wasn’t something he was used to. Another part just felt sad and angry about what had just happened and relished in Bruce’s attention. 

"Are soulmates that important ?" Hal asked and he sounded rather vulnerable to his own ears. 

He had wondered so, but the question almost seemed like it wasn’t his own. Bruce stilled for a second, his shirt only half buttoned and his armor only partially removed, before sitting next to Hal. 

“I know this isn’t easy. But some of them will come around. And if they don’t, that’s okay too. It could be worse. My kids don’t care and your mother doesn’t mind either.”

“That’s not an answer.” 

"You know that soulmates are important, for society at least. But you also taught me to not care. You might not be my soulmate, Hal, but you're the love of my life. I wouldn't trade that for the world."

“Bruce, I -”

“It’s okay, Hal.” Bruce murmured before leaning forward. 

Hal was starting to panic - should he tell Bruce he didn’t know what had happened but he wasn’t his Hal ? Should he let him kiss him ? The idea wasn’t so unappealing but that was hardly fair, right ? 

Thankfully, the decision was taken away from him. Just as he was starting to feel Bruce’s breath on his lips, he found himself back in his bed. 

He laughed, turned in his sheets… and screamed when a muscular arm wrapped around his waist.

************************************************************************************************************************************

"It's going to be fine, it's going to be fine." Hal muttered under his breath. 

For some reason, he was in his old flat. It would have made better sense for him to wait for Bruce at the Watchtower and now he was going to be late. 

Like he had not enough pressure on his shoulders as it was. He went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. Right now didn’t seem like a great time for a panic attack.  
The funny thing with panic attacks was that there was rarely a great time for them.

Bruce. He needed to think about Bruce, Bruce who was probably waiting for him worriedly and was going to flood him with texts if he didn’t show up at the Watchtower soon. Knowing him, he may have already organized a search party. The thought made Hal laugh. Good, he had regained his composure and was breathing easier. 

Hal shook his head to focus back on what he planned to say at the meeting and got out of his flat. There had been something bothering him as he had been there, as if the flat wasn’t in his normal state but Hal couldn't pinpoint what and didn’t have time to figure out what was different. Well, he rarely went there anymore, so that might be why the place had seemed so unfamiliar. 

Why would he come back here, when he could come back from OA directly to Bruce’s arms and fluffy pillows instead ? 

He managed to be barely late to the reunion, which owed him a frosty glare from Bruce. Hal arched an eyebrow at him, confused. His partner had started the reunion and hadn’t even kept a seat next to him for Hal.  
Something was obviously wrong but they hadn’t argued for some time so Hal wasn’t sure what. Of course, planning their status reveal had been kind of stressful, but they had agreed on it, talked about it at length. 

Maybe Bruce had felt uncomfortable, waiting for Hal to show up and not knowing if he was still in agreement with the plan or if he was going to chicken out.  
Well, maybe ignoring Hal’s glances the whole meeting was unnecessary anyway. 

After the meeting, Bruce had just left swiftly, not waiting for Hal.

Hal had followed him outside immediately, and noticed it had owned him a few surprised looks. Well, the other Leaguers could think whatever they wanted. Trouble in paradise ? he could already hear Oliver ask him compassionately. 

Bruce walked quickly and Hal cursed him before walking faster to close up the distance that separated them. He grabbed Bruce’s arm just before the next turn. 

“Wow, I am five minutes late and suddenly we’re strangers ? I know it was an important meeting and I am sorry for having been late but that didn’t mean I -” 

Bruce made an annoyed hand gesture to make Hal shut up. The Green Lantern had acted strange during the whole meeting, staring at him for the whole meeting first and having followed him to babble about something or other after. It didn’t seem to quite make sense. 

"Look, Jordan, I don’t know why you’re acting so upset today -"

Hal’s face went quite red. 

"Jordan, really ? You're wondering why I am upset ? Oh God, I was feeling bad for missing the start of the reunion but you’ve actually forgotten ? How could you ?” he said, and his voice was so, so quiet. 

Just like a volcano before a volcanic eruption. You could know when Hal was really upset and going to lash out when he went very quiet. Well, some people could tell, and that day, it didn’t seem to include Bruce. 

“Lantern, what are you talking about ? Are you drunk ?” he asked, ignoring the warning signs. 

Hal chuckled, looking at the ceiling too intensely, before turning his gaze to Bruce. 

“That’s - you knew it meant a lot for me. I know we’re not soulmates, oh do I know that, but I didn’t think it prevented you from respecting me. I know we said rather ugly things to each other in the past, but that was supposed to be the past.” Hal said, in a higher pitch than his usual one. “I was idiotic enough to think I meant something to you.” 

“Something’s not right.” Bruce murmured.

He was frowning, looking at Hal with clear interest, like a scientist in a research lab examining a rat. 

“Yeah, you.” Hal told him with a murderous glare.

Bruce shook his head and pointed his chin towards a door. 

“Come with me.” he told Hal.

Hal sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. 

“In case you haven’t noticed, I am angry at you. I am not going home with you just because you asked - ever so nicely, should I add -, I am going back to my flat for tonight. That should give you enough time to figure out what you did wrong and to start working on an apology. Tell Alfred and the kids I am sorry but I couldn’t make it, I am sure you can make something up about my flight schedule or something.” 

Bruce looked at him even more sharply.

“What are you even talking about ? You need to be examined.” he said, taking a step closer as Hal took a step back. 

“Stop fussing ! My head wound happened weeks ago and has healed nicely. If it’s some fucked up way to have me to agree to stay, I swear to God -” Hal started saying threateningly just as Clark appeared in the corridor.

“Clark, I think we have a problem. Can you confirm it’s Hal ?” Bruce asked to the alien. 

Clark frowned but did as he was told, checking Hal for anything unusual.

“What the hell, Bruce ?” Hal snapped. 

“There’s a curious mark on his arm, but expect for that, he’s the exact same Hal than usual.” Clark reported, shrugging. 

Hal had turned his face away. 

“A mark ?” Bruce asker, none the wiser. 

Hal scowled at his partner and crossed his hands. 

“You know. The mark. On my right arm. Becky. Can we not discuss it in front of someone else ? No offense, Clark but that’s… quite personal to say the least.” Hal said. 

Clark just said he didn’t mind Hal thinking so and should go, but Bruce asked for him to stay, and Hal just shrugged.

“Show me.” Bruce said, coaxing Hal into baring his arm. 

Hal looked at his feet. No matter how many times Bruce had said he didn’t care, that it was part of Hal and Hal’s history, the Green Lantern was still self-conscious about it. And not very interested in showing it to Superman. 

“You’ve seen hundreds of times, I promise it hasn’t changed since the last time you've seen me naked.” Hal muttered, making the joints of his hand crack. 

He did it when he was feeling uneasy. And when Hal felt uneasy, he could be quite mean. The naked comment was a low blow, because Bruce carefully kept the life they had built for themselves away from the spotlight.

“Sorry ?” Bruce said, and his eyes had widened. 

Hal decided to take pity on him. 

“It hadn’t moved an inch.” he affirmed, rubbing his arm just where the inelegant mark was, testimony of a soulmate who had been long dead. 

“Last time I've seen you naked ?” Bruce parroted. 

He looked genuinely intrigued. Hal shrugged, if Bruce wanted to expose more of their personal lives to Clark, so be it. 

“I don’t keep a detailed record of the number of times we have sex, but that must be Wednesday evening, right ? We’ve been too busy afterwards. Maybe you should be the one getting an exam.”

Clark was looking at them strangely too, he must have felt that the atmosphere was getting quite tense. 

“I didn’t realize you two were involved.” he said.  
Hal raised an eyebrow, he hadn’t considered this eventuality, persuaded that Clark’s soulmate or Bruce had ended up telling him. He turned to Bruce, because that had gone too far. 

“I am sorry, I didn’t realize your best friend didn’t know. I thought you or Diana told him, since it had been going on for a while.” Hal said, taking a step closer to Bruce. 

“Hal, why don’t you come to the medbay and sit there for a while, uh ? Clark, I assure you that me and Hal had never been involved.” Bruce asserted and Hal felt like he was a lab rat once again, one just about to be dissected by an overzealous scientist. 

What a charming feeling. Yesterday had been such a nice day. What had happened ? 

“I can understand you not wanting to share… the specifics with your friends, but outright denying our relationship ? After all we went through ? You know what ? Maybe my soulmate’s dead but she’d never played with my feelings the way you did.” Hal said quietly. 

“Your soulmate ?” Clark asked.

Hal lowered his head, he should have been ready for that question. He would have taken Bruce’s hand into his to answer this, if they hadn’t been arguing. 

“Yes. Bruce isn’t my soulmate and I am not his. Not many people know. Just Bruce’s kids and my Mom. And you, now.” 

Hal felt an armored hand on his shoulder and looked up. Bruce. He didn’t look apologetic, just worried.

“Do you think he had been drugged ?” he was asking Superman as if Hal wasn’t right there. 

Superman just shook his head and made a gesture for Batman to shut up. 

“Hal, am I to understand people have soulmates where you live ?” he asked seriously. 

Hal made a face. Weren’t Kryptonians supposed to have soulmates too ? Diana and Clark rarely acknowledged it but they were soulmates. Looking at Clark’s face, Hal noticed something was amiss.

“What the - where’s your mark ?” he said, urgency in his voice. “Where’s Diana ?” 

“Sorry ?” Clark asked, looking even more surprised, as if not having a mark was totally normal. 

“Diana kept hers hidden, but I should be able to see your soulmark, you’ve never covered it. What happened to it ? Where is she ?” 

Before Hal could get an answer, he found himself back to his true world, his lover’s arms wrapped around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fic this chapter is based on is [Not your soulmate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23067292). Next chapter will be in the world of "What's your number ?"


	2. What's your number ? Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "What's your number" (two fics with different pov), Hal and Bruce are soulmates. There are "counters" on their arms : each word one say to the other make the counter jump forward. 
> 
> For some times, Hal believes his soulmate to be Barry, which convinces Bruce that Hal's in love with his best friend. They ended up having a conversation about being soulmates and feelings but Hal freaks out a bit and manages to fuck it up. Thanks to Barry, he fixes his relationship with Bruce and there's a hint that they're going to sleep together at the very end.
> 
> This chapter happens a few early mornings after.

Hal’s scream had woken up his bed partner fully. After getting out of bed for a quick check for external threats that revealed nothing, Bruce crouched in front of Hal and held his wrists firmly but not too tightly for Hal to break his hold if he wanted to.

"Jordan ! It's just me. Are you okay ?"

Hal’s eyes looked haunted. Nightmares, certainly, even if Hal had been too proud to warn him. Bruce should have foreseen that, Hal’s last mission hadn’t gone as well as it should have. 

Hal pushed his teammate’s hands away from his and backed away from him, getting entangled in the sheets as he did so and trying to kick them away a bit haphazardly. 

"If I am okay ? You are naked ! We were in the same bed. I am naked ! I am - you are - ugggh !" Hal was saying, his breath short. 

Bruce noticed immediately and sat on the bed next to Hal. 

"Breathe. In. Out. Close your eyes and listen to me. In. Out." Bruce said, as he put his hands on Hal’s shoulders. 

He repeated his comments several times, and despite a few murderous urges, Hal managed to follow his instructions and calm himself after quite a few tries. 

"Bruce, what the fuck ?" Hal told him a few moments after. 

“You just had a panic attack. I don’t know if you’re familiar with them, but given our vigilante work -” Bruce started saying. 

Hal tried to look away from his powerful body. He could feel the strength in his teammate’s hands and - was Bruce massaging his shoulders ? Hal didn’t know if he wanted to run away or lean into the touch. 

He distanced himself from the man with as much dignity as he could and relocated himself at the other end of the bed.

“Yeah, hum, thanks for helping with that but not what I was saying. What the fuck had happened before ? Can you - can you please put some clothes on ? It’s - it’s distracting.”

Bruce was looking increasingly worried but he did as he was told as Hal looked around for his own clothing.

“If you want a shower -” Bruce had started saying but Hal had shaken his head negatively. 

So they put some clothes on and Bruce directed Hal to the kitchen. Once there, Bruce had made coffee and offered a mug of black coffee to Hal.

“I don’t think I have anything to sweeten it there, but I can slip over to the store -”

“It’s fine.” Hal said, taking the mug from him and grimacing when his lips met the hot, bitter liquid. 

Bruce only nodded and leaned against an opposite countertop. 

“How are you ?” he asked to Hal. 

Hal shrugged. 

“Fine.” 

"You asked me about what happened. I don’t know but I think you may have been drugged." Bruce said casually, his eyes never leaving Hal’s face.

"And not you ?" Hal asked. “You were okay with - you just went along with - with this ?” 

Almost being kissed by Bruce was mostly okay. Sleeping naked next to him was something else entirely. 

"Look, we can discuss my sexual proclivities at a later time but I am more concerned by your current state for now. I should have realized you were not… willing. It doesn't cover it but for what it's worth, I am truly sorry you've been -" Bruce was saying and for once he hadn’t a mask on, not even a figurative one.  
Hal could see the bare feelings on his face and was conscious that Bruce was letting him see them, that he was opening up to Hal. Hal could see how tight his jaw was and how Bruce had a hard time meeting his gaze. Bruce looked at him then, and he seemed almost in pain. 

“I should have insisted on taking this slow, I shouldn’t have -”

Hal made some vague gesture. 

"Stop. You're giving me a headache. I don't think - look, that's going to sound strange but I think I may have given you my consent, you’re blowing things out of proportion. I just think it wasn't me."

Bruce didn’t look less regretful or less worried. He had crossed his arms on his chest. 

"Dissociation is a common coping mecha-"

"Please shut up. I wasn't with you like, ten minutes ago ? I was somewhere else. Somewhere that felt strange too. I think I’ve taken the place of the Hal from here or something. You have a tattoo ?" Hal said when he noticed the series of numbers on Bruce’s right arm as Bruce brought his mug to his lips. 

Bruce put down his mug on the countertop slowly. It barely made a cling. 

"You don't have one ?" Bruce asked harshly, his eyes focused on his arm. 

In three steps, Bruce was in front of him, asking for access to his arm silently. 

"Er… no ?" Hal said, letting Bruce check his arm.

It was bare, just as Hal had expected it to be. 

"That wasn't true, yesterday. And my number isn’t changing. I am not going to ask twice. Where is he ?"

They were almost chest to chest and Hal was starting to have trouble thinking. Well, who would blame him ? 

"If you're talking about your Hal, I have no idea whatsoever. Are we in your penthouse ?” 

Bruce didn’t look like he wanted to talk about real estate.

"You mentioned another place. Could he be here ?"

Hal shrugged as Bruce took a step backwards.

"I doubt it. But what do I know. If you have any brilliant ideas however, shoot. I’d like to go home, a place where I have no romantic or sexual relationship with Bruce Wayne and am very happy about that. No offense.”

Bruce was scowling at him, a few feet away. 

“Look, it’s probably not that bad. I didn’t stay long in that other world, your uh - your Hal is probably going to come back soon and ask for a repetition of whatever you did last night and talk feelings with you or something.” 

Bruce sighed and took another sip of his coffee before gratifying Hal with an answer. 

“I am not concerned about Hal’s desires and feelings changing, I am worried about his safety. How’s your Bruce ? Do you think Hal could be with him ?” he asked.

Those were valid points of concern. He himself hadn’t been that tender with his Hal when they had been merely acquaintances. 

“Maybe, but please don’t ever call him my Bruce ever again, it sent chills down my spine and not in a good way. He won’t hurt your Hal. Well, if Hal’s with him and Bruce figures out he’s not me, he might turn a bit paranoid but it’ll be okay, I think.” Hal said hesitantly. “Hal can handle it.”

Bruce shook his head. 

“That’s supposed to be reassuring ?” he said, arching an eyebrow. 

Hal went to him and covered his arm with his hand. 

“You shouldn’t worry, I am sure he’ll be back s-” Hal could barely say before feeling he had been transported somewhere else. 

This was starting to get annoying. 

****************************************************************************************************************************

“Wow, my head.” Hal complained. “Spinning.” he muttered before looking at his whereabouts.

He smiled when he spotted Bruce and Clark. He could still feel Bruce’s deft hands on him. 

“Diana’s alright, I’ve just talked to her.” Clark told Hal in answer to his earlier concern about her and the absence of a soulmark on Clark’s face. 

Hal furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t understand why Clark was telling him so. 

“Glad to know. Any reason she shouldn’t have been ?” he asked.

He didn’t remember having heard of her going anywhere especially dangerous. 

Bruce and Clark shared a glance. 

“Can you inform the others ?” Bruce asked him.

Clark nodded. He could have done it in a second but apparently chose to pick the human way and walk back to the meeting room as if he had forgotten he could do that. Clark was such a human sometimes.

“What’s wrong ?” Hal asked Bruce after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. 

“How’s your memory ?” Bruce asked, crossing his arms. 

Hal offered him a charming smile. Bruce wasn’t used to having Hal turning his full charm on him and that was quite unnerving. 

“Good. I have vivid memories from last night, if that’s what you’re asking but I wouldn’t mind a reminder, you know. I - Bruce.”

Hal’s smile disintegrated as he froze. His eyes were widening and wrinkles formed on his forehead. Hal grabbed Bruce’s gauntleted wrist and squeezed. 

“Yes ?” Bruce asked. 

“I don’t remember anything that happened after. I have no idea how I came here, I don’t even remember getting dressed or leaving your penthouse.” Hal said, distress coloring his voice. 

Hal was an awesome man, but Bruce was starting to think it was worrying that he was in some kind of relationship with the man in two other places - it was getting more obvious with each passing second that the man with him now wasn’t the same that had been there half an hour before and that none of them were the right Hal, so to speak. 

Bruce wouldn’t have bet he would ever think so but right now, he was missing Hal, that Hal who didn’t talk about their sexlife in the Watchtower’s corridors for the excellent reason that they didn’t have one. 

“Well, if it’s any comfort, I don’t remember that night at all.” Bruce told him, trying to distance himself from the man in front of him. 

Hal gaped at him for a long moment before closing his mouth shut and crossing his arms. 

“Wait, you don’t remember last night ?” he asked. 

Bruce looked at him frankly, affronting Hal’s uncertain gaze. 

“Oh, I do remember last night. Tim got injured on patrol. I stayed up all night to make sure he'd be alright. We don’t have the same memories. I may be wrong, but I think you’re not from this world.” 

Hal just let himself slide down the wall until he reached the floor. 

“Wow. That’s - that’s a bit much. You’re sure you’re not the misplaced one ?” he asked, looking up at Bruce. 

“I wasn’t the one Clark looked at with concern.” Bruce said, and after some hesitation, he sat down next to Hal. 

“So, you’re not my soulmate ?” Hal said. 

“Your what ? No. No, we don’t have soulmates here, and no, I don’t think Hal would be mine if we had.”

Hal snorted. It owed him a glare from Bruce. 

“It took me ages to realize Bruce was my soulmate. It was obvious but I just… couldn’t see it. So I wouldn’t bet on that if I were you. Oh and the sex is really amazing, if you’ve ever wondered.” Hal added with a smirk. 

Hal used seduction as a shield, Bruce had to remember. He was protecting his own feelings, not trying to drive Bruce mad. Or maybe he was doing both. 

“I didn’t.”

“It had never been a concern of mine either. I knew the sex would be amazing even before I started developping feelings for Bruce.” Hal continued. 

“Please, stop talking about your boyfriend. It’s highly disturbing.” 

“You want to talk about yours instead ? I'm all ears. I can give you pointers. I really liked it yesterday when Bruce -” 

Bruce covered his mouth with his hand and Hal’s muffled laugh could be heard for a few seconds. 

“Hal isn’t my boyfriend and I’d rather not know what you like in bed.” 

“Prude.” 

They both laughed frankly at the idea. Bruce’s supposed - and maybe partly real - sexlife was discussed regularly in Gotham’s tabloids. 

“I’ve been called many things in my life but this is a new one.” Bruce said, shaking his head. 

Hal looked at him, smiling softly. 

“It’s kind of sweet.” he said, letting his hand brush against Bruce’s cheek.

“Not your boyfriend, remember ?” Bruce said, recoiling from the touch. “And what on Earth are you talking about ?”

Hal took his hand back and kept it on his knee sensibly. 

“The king of invasion of privacy protecting someone else’s intimacy. That. That’s sweet.” 

“Hal wouldn’t believe you.” Bruce told him sternly.

“Right ?” Hal said. “Oh look, I still have my flat’s keys on me. Wonderful, I need to charge my ring. I am going there, see you in an hour or so.” Hal said, and before Bruce could say a word, he was out of his sight.

Bruce sighed. He was quite certain the Hal who would come back would be different. Hopefully it would be his own version of Hal, but he was starting to doubt it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by my stories What's your number ? with the Bruce's POV one [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24171727) and the Hal's POV one [right there](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24115081).
> 
> Next chapter will be inspired by [Each Touch A Drawing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490009).


	3. Each Touch A Drawing Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "Each Touch A Drawing", when soulmates touch (bare skin against bare skin), drawings appear on each one's skin (not necessarily where you have been touched, though). First time it happens for Bruce and Hal is when Bruce breaks in Hal's flat to ask for his help and is punched by Hal, who thought it was an intruder.
> 
> Bruce notices the green dragonfly on his hip and deduces Hal is his soulmate very quickly. However Hal doesn't realize there's a vine on his back for some time and doesn't make the connection with Bruce, who keeps it from Hal, thinking it would upset him.  
> Hal's injured during a mission and Bruce takes care of him, but he has to touch Hal's skin in order to do so. When Hal wakes up, new drawings have bloomed on his skin and he talks with Bruce about it. They make out and Hal falls asleep. A daisy has appeared on his neck.
> 
> This chapter happens several years later.

"Let me guess : this is the tattoo AU I have not asked for." Hal muttered when he turned around and caught sight of Bruce entering the room. 

He wasn’t in Bruce’s penthouse anymore. Their surroundings looked a lot more like Hal’s quarters at the Watchtower, even if they were both in civvies. 

Bruce was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and his arms, hands and neck were covered with what looked like hand-drawn colored pictures. 

Some mountains at sunrise, a nest with a bunch of small, disheveled young birds, including a red-headed one too close to the edge for comfort and a blue one getting away - what an accurate metaphor, Hal thought before looking at another drawing - , a grandfather clock, a red rose, complete with thorns. A storm. And was this some aerial view of Coast City, really ? 

Hal refrained to groan. He looked around him, and noticed some touches in the room that were definitely Bruce's - blueprints of one gadget or another on the desk, reading glasses on one of the bedside tables, an abandoned batarang on a shelf. So, he was the misplaced one again. Hal sighed. He wanted to go home. 

"Hal ?" Bruce called, handing him a cup of coffee with a smile. 

It was a gentle smile, a soft one and Hal had to refrain to raise an eyebrow. 

"It’s complicated." Hal muttered, accepting the coffee nevertheless. 

He and Bruce took a sip at the same time, grimaced and swapped cups. Their hands brushed and Hal noticed the wedding band tattoo on Bruce’s left ring finger. An intricate green, black and white pattern. 

Hal prudently sat on the edge of the bed and tried not to panic. This was a bit too much. Soulmates were one thing, and husbands another. 

“How long, this time ?” Bruce asked, sitting next to him and nudging his knee familiarly. 

“Sorry ?” Hal asked.

“Obviously, the Corps called you and you’re leaving for a mission. When will you be back ?” Bruce asked, watching his cup of coffee intently. 

“I am not leaving.” Hal said.

Bruce shook his head, sighing, and brushed his hand against Hal’s. Hal did his best not to jump at the sudden contact. Bruce took both their cups and put them down on the desk before settling back next to Hal. 

“Hal, I am not an idiot. You covered your tatts.” Bruce said, gesturing to his arms. 

So, he had tattoos too in this world. He had wondered about it when Bruce hadn’t said a thing about his bare arms. 

“Uh.” was all Hal could think to say. 

“Is everything okay ? Hal, tell me what’s wrong. Are you still upset about that last mission ? I thought sulking wasn’t allowed and that healthy communication was the new rule.” Bruce told him, brushing a strand of hair away from Hal’s eyes. 

“I really told you that ?” 

“You did. You can’t change the rules when they don’t work in your favor, Hal.” 

Hal had only ever heard Bruce say his first name sparsely before, but never with such warmth in his tone. Now that he thought of it, it had been a long time since someone had said his name with such fondness.

“That’s a bit rich coming from you, following the rules just doesn’t seem to be something you do on a regular basis.” he protested.

Maybe now was a good time to tell Bruce what was wrong, this one sounded rather nice and Hal didn’t really feel like messing up another Hal’s life.

“Hal, no more secrets when it counts.” Bruce insisted, showing off his ring tattoo.

It sounded like something that had been said many times by both Bruce and his husband during arguments. A promise they made to each other. Maybe during their vows. Hal tried not to think too much about it. 

“Tell me what’s going on, it’s eating you up and I don’t like it.” Bruce added, a hand on Hal’s shoulder. “Is it the mission ?” 

Hal pinched the bridge of his nose before starting to talk. 

“Okay. So, you better take a seat, that’s a long story. One you’re not going to like, I think.”

And Hal told him everything, and Bruce listened, his forehead furrowing but waiting for Hal to finish before commenting. 

“And before you ask, no, I don’t know where your Hal is.” Hal finished.

Bruce nodded, distracted.

“That’s… not good but I have been studying interdimensional traveling, we may figure something out in the Cave. You’re coming ?” 

They were looking at complex schematics when Hal felt the pull that meant he was about to be removed from this place and thrown into another a bit haphazardly. 

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Were your nephews running low on blank sheets ? Looking as unprofessional as ever, Jordan.” Bruce said moodily when Hal stepped into his quarters. 

Hal looked so puzzled, Bruce sighed. They were at the Watchtower, wearing their respective armors and a wildflower was sticking out of Hal’s Lantern uniform’s collar. Not to mention the few stars shining in a purple night sky next to his left eye. 

Bruce was sitting at his desk. He had been taking notes on a report Diana had made. He liked Diana's reports. They were straightforward and devoid of unnecessary information. That couldn't be said about Jordan's, whose summaries tended to be too detailed. And who never finished them on time.

“Still not back, apparently." Bruce muttered, puting the report apart to better focus on the newcomer. "Good afternoon, Jordan. I am going to make this short. Wherever you come from, this is a different place and different people. I am not in a relationship with you of any sort that isn’t a professional one. No one here has soulmates. We’ll try to send you back home and get the Hal from this world back in the process.” Bruce said very matter-of-factly. 

Hal seemed to take the news better than he had expected. The Lantern leaned on the desk next to Bruce and arched an eyebrow. Bruce glared at him. 

“Not sure he’d like that.” Hal said in a quite dry tone. 

“Sorry ?”

“Your Hal. Maybe he doesn't want to come back. He’s apparently working with an asshole.”

Bruce got up - Hal looking down at him made him feel uneasy - and narrowed his eyes at this Hal behind his cowl. Hal managed to be insufferable even when he wasn’t really there himself. 

“Maybe you’re not the wrong Jordan, finally. There’s something familiar with your speech pattern.”

The tattooed Hal laughed frankly. 

“I didn’t miss this. But you’ll see. It’s amazing where a good punch could lead you, but you’ll get tired of fighting each other, someday.” Hal said, grazing the flower on his neck with his fingertips.

“And I’ll get fond of body painting ?” Bruce snortled.

“Oh, Bruce didn’t make those. Well, he kind of did. They form whenever you touch your soulmate or they touch you. Wait, they’re visible ?”

Hal sounded surprised. It intrigued Bruce who leaned a bit forward. The artwork was really good.

“Shouldn’t they be ?” he asked. 

“I usually get rid of them when I am wearing my Lantern uniform to protect my identity.” Hal explained. “Well, I guess it’s fine if we’re not in my world. So, Hal’s not your soulmate but that’s not the first time you met a Hal who has a Bruce as a soulmate, right ? Hence the little speech.” Hal said.

Bruce felt a headache coming. The real Hal Jordan had to come back, dealing with all his clones was way too tiring. 

“Congratulations, you’re smarter than I thought.” he said. 

Jordan threw him a dark glance and rubbed at the painted daisy on his neck. 

“Why do you hate your world's Hal so much ? What had he even done to deserve this ?” he asked.

Bruce hadn’t expected this. He looked at Jordan more closely. 

“I don't hate Jordan." he said.

He didn’t know why, but that was true. He didn’t hate Hal Jordan, not really. They weren’t exactly friends, but they could trust each other in the field. 

"You're sure ? You could have fooled me." the Hal in front of Bruce said, crossing his arms.

"Jordan and I are two very different people -" Bruce started saying. 

Hal cut him off. 

"Right. One of you is a human vigilante trying to make the world a safer place and was one of the League's founders and the other… wait, what's the other doing with his life, again ?"

"Our personalities just don't work together."

"You must have been trying very hard." Hal said, rolling his eyes at him childishly. 

"You know nothing about this world." Bruce argued. 

Hal seemed to be hesitant for a second, but he regained his composure quickly.

"Possibly. But I know a few things about you you've never let anyone know." he said, and it sounded more like a threat to Bruce’s ears than it should have.

Especially since he had no idea what exactly Hal could know about him. Well, he should try to make him shut up but he doubted he could do it. Jordan was persistent to a fault. 

"Is this conversation necessary ?" Bruce asked in a dark tone.

Hal shrugged and straightened up to reach his full height. He was just as tall as Bruce and wasn’t impressed by him. 

"I don't know. But I am not home, and I am scared. And when I am scared, I talk. You should try it. It did wonders for my relationship with Bruce. Communication, who would have known ?" he said distractedly. 

It was obvious his mind was elsewhere, with someone who shared physical resemblance with Bruce but was not him. He was touching the flower on his neck again, a bit reverently. 

"Jordan." Bruce stated, but he didn’t continue afterwards.

"Don't Jordan me. Bruce trusts me with his life, you know ?" Hal said, crossing his arms on his chest. 

"I do trust Hal with my life." Bruce said.

It was a prerequisite with teammates in the vigilante work. You couldn’t fight at someone’s side for long without trusting them to have your back.

"On a physical plan ? Certainly. With your personal life ? Not so much."

"My life isn't League business." Bruce pointed out.

It was irrelevant for their work together whether he confided in Jordan about his private life or not. 

"And that's all your relationship with Jordan is, League business ?" Hal asked harshly.

He had taken a step closer to Bruce and Bruce had to fight his discomfort with how close Hal was. Maybe Hal and his husband were that close when they fought, but it felt too intimate for this Bruce and any version of Hal.

"What are you looking for ?" he asked Hal. 

"The real reason behind your apparent dislike for Hal." the man answered, finally taking a step back and turning his back to Bruce to arrange some pens on Bruce’s desk.

He needed to keep his hands busy to calm himself, Bruce realized. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said.

"Of fucking course. You know what I think ?" Hal said, and he hadn’t even looked over his shoulder in Bruce’s direction. 

"Please refrain from enlightening me on the subject." Bruce said, crossing his arms.

Hal turned toward him swiftly. His enemies often underestimated how quickly he could move but Bruce didn’t. Knowing how dangerous your teammates could be was a necessity. That, and it allowed you to use your partners’ assets in the field to your team's advantage. 

"Oh, you know the cause, you just don't want to share it with me. You know that if you let Hal in, there's no way out. You keep him at arms' length because you know the second you'll let yourself enjoy his company, you'll be done for."

"I am not your fucking soulmate." Bruce replied through his teeth.

This Hal was too quick with his judgements. Not unlike another Hal he knew.

"Believe me, I've noticed you’re not him." Hal said, pressing his fingers on his neck. "But that's why you don't even call Hal by his first name. You're afraid you'll care too much for him. And in your experience, caring hurts." he said, pointing at Bruce’s chest.

"It sounds like you're speaking from your experience here, not mine." Bruce retorted. 

"You think ? Well, I went into the soulmates thing without a second thought.” Hal said before pausing for a few seconds. “The falling in love part was trickier. I was scared to care too much for someone who would always care less. Bruce proved me wrong, it's something he loves to do."

"What are you trying to achieve here ?" Bruce said, sighing. 

"I am not sure. I am trying to make another me's life easier in the event we can swap places again, maybe. I know you've lost a lot. He has too. Hal is going to die as a Lantern, someday. You know that. He knows that. If you're still alive by then, you already know it will hurt. Despite all the coldness, you respect him. You like him well enough, even, if I am not wrong. Losing a significant other would be worse, obviously. But you will not be able to spare yourself the pain anyway.”

Bruce just glared at him. Hal took the fact that he hadn’t left the room as a good sign and kept talking. 

“You trust your instincts all the time except when it comes to feelings. Let yourself be. Que sera sera.”

Bruce rolled his eyes at him. 

"Very interesting. If you're done, can you tell me more about your world so we can -" Bruce stopped talking suddenly, putting a hand next to his ear and signaling for Hal to not talk. 

“That was Clark. There’s a situation, I have to go. You can stay here -” he said after a while, checking his armor. 

“What ? No ! I am not your Hal but I am a Lantern, I can help.” Hal protested. 

He knew the situation must have been complicated because Bruce only hesitated for a second.

“Suit yourself. But you’ll be teaming up with me.” he said tersely, not letting Hal argue.

He was keeping this one under his supervision. 

In the field, Bruce was quite impressed by how well Hal knew his moves, how well he adapted to them and complemented them. It was unsettling how in tune Hal was with Bruce.

He and Hal were good partners usually but they weren't that good at reading each other, Hal anticipating Bruce’s moves almost better than the man himself.

However, there was something Hal failed to take in consideration. That Bruce just wasn’t as good at anticipating Hal’s moves as his soulmate.

He exposed his left side to the threat before Bruce could react. Hal's cry was half surprise at being touched and half hurt but it made Bruce's mind go wild. 

Hal had been under his responsibility here and he had failed him. 

An hour later, Hal was sitting on a bed in the medbay, uniform long gone and shirt off. Bruce had been distracted by the tatts covering his skin at first but had quickly fixed his attention on the burnt skin. 

Hal had cried out when they had taken his shirt off and exposed his flesh.  
It was not pretty.

Barry had covered the burns with some alien balm of some sort he had looked for in Hal's flat under his instructions, Hal hissing and crushing Bruce's hand each time Barry's hand touched him.

"Is it completely safe ?" Bruce had asked, looking skeptically at the gross yellowish crust the balm was forming on Hal’s skin. 

"I used it before. It will get rid of the burns and help with the pain.” Hal, who was already on painkillers anyway but waiting for them to be effective - said. 

"Will you get your tattoos back ?" Barry had asked.

Bruce hadn’t dared. The tattoos had seemed quite important to Hal and he didn’t want to upset him.

"I hope so. They did come back last time. I wouldn't feel whole without them." Hal said, but he didn’t seem too worried. 

"I am sorry. I should have - " Bruce tried to say.

Hal stopped him with a shake of his head. 

"You couldn't know. Bruce and I have been training together for a long time almost daily and for a second I forgot it wasn't him under the suit. Not your fault and the skin is already healing, aren't alien treatments wonderful ?" he told Bruce, offering him a weak smile.

He was still in some pain probably, his eyes watering.

“Hal, you really have bats on your back ?” Barry asked in an amazed tone. 

There were three of them, caught in a greenish light. 

“Embarrassing, yeah ?” Hal laughed. “Bruce - my Bruce, that is - has a lantern on his stomach. And Coast City on his left arm.” Hal said proudly, grinning at Barry.

His best friend - well, a rather well done replica anyway - laughed too and even that stoic Bruce - was it a smile Hal had caught for a second on his lips ? 

“You keep touching the tattoo on your neck.” Barry said, pointing at Hal with his chin.

Hal had put his hand above the flower on his neck at its mention.

“The daisy ?” he said knowingly. 

Barry nodded, touching his own neck at the same emplacement. 

“Yes. Is there a reason why ?”

“Ah.” Hal said, and he was blushing.

“It’s your first tattoo ?” Barry tried to help him out.

Bruce wanted to know too what made the daisy special but let the conversation happen without participating into it. 

“Oh no, I only got the first one because I punched Bruce bare handed. It’s the vine on my back.” Hal explained, turning his back towards them.

Bruce caught sight of the bats he hadn’t seen yet, and of dozens of other drawings, including the vine running along Hal’s spinal cord. The whole picture was more beautiful than he had expected it to be. 

Before he knew it, he was reaching out with his hand, but he retracted his arm the second he noticed it, Hal being not the wiser but Barry gave him a strange look before turning to Hal.

“You punched Bruce ?” he asked, frowning. 

Hal sighed. There was a reason Bruce and him had worked on a fake version of their first tattoo-inducing contact to share with curious minds.

“Don’t look at me like that, it wasn’t domestic abuse ! He slipped inside my flat uninvited at night to ask for my expertise.”

“Typical Bruce.” Barry said, laughing. 

Bruce just rolled his eyes at the both of them. Children, really. 

“Typical Bruce.” Hal confirmed, smiling as he rubbed his forefinger against his neck. 

“Ah yes, the daisy.” Hal said when he noticed, avoiding Bruce’s gaze. “A testimony of our first kiss. It reminds me of Bruce.” he said softly. “There were daisies at our wedding. Bruce could have got whatever overpriced lilies he wanted, and he picked wild daisies.” Hal said, his eyes closed as he mentioned the memory. 

“You’ve been married for long ?” Barry asked hesitantly. 

“Four years.” Hal said, smiling, looking down at his ring finger. 

“Jordan.” Bruce said.

Hal looked up at him. 

“Uh ?”

Bruce grabbed his wrist and held it for a bit. 

“Don’t be scared. We’ll get you back home.” he said. 

Hal smiled at him, and gestured for him to come closer before hugging him. Bruce tried to be mindful of his burns as he hugged him back.

“Thank you.” he murmured into his ear. “You’re not as mean as you want us to believe, Bruce.” 

A second later, Bruce was only holding thin air. 

“Is it normal ? Shouldn’t we have a new Hal even if we don’t have ours ?” Barry asked, worried.

“I - I don’t know, Barry. I wish - I just don’t know.” Bruce said, shaking his head. 

He hadn't felt so lost in a long time.

“Bruce. Do you think - our Hal, do you think he’s scared too ?” Barry’s voice was barely a whisper now.

“I would be if I were him.” Bruce said grimly as they left the room, wondering where to start looking to get answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on this fic : [Each Touch A Drawing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490009).  
> Next chapter should be based on : [Affairs of the Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473655).


	4. Affairs of the Heart Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "Affairs of the Heart", Hal worries constantly about his soulmate who keeps dying. In that universe, soulmates can see each other's heart rythm on their arms and Hal had noticed his soulmate's stopping too many times. One night, he found out about Bruce being his soulmate. They talk. Feelings are reaveled and they kiss. 
> 
> This chapter happens a couple years after.

Hal stared at the mirror. Something felt wrong but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He was quite certain he hadn’t managed to make it back home, sadly. 

He spotted black ink on his reflection’s arm and looked down at said arm. A sine curve was there, strangely. Hal looked at it more closely and sat on his bed.  
There was a gentle knock at the door and someone went in. Hal looked up at Bruce, who smiled -a bit tightly- when he caught sight of what Hal was looking at. 

“I told you it’ll be fine, stop looking at your wave. I am here. And I haven’t put myself in danger any more than strictly necessary.” Bruce said, covering Hal’s arm with his hand. 

“That’s… good, I guess.” Hal said.

“I thought you were going to OA ?” Bruce said.

He seemed a bit wary of what Hal was going to say, and Hal wondered why. 

“I - no ?” he said shortly, more a question than an affirmation. 

Bruce looked at him and shook his head. 

“You didn’t stay only to keep an eye on me, did you ? Hal, I told you I’ll be fine. You have to trust me on this, okay ? It was only a bad dream, I didn’t die. Hal ?”

Hal was biting his lip. He couldn’t let Bruce go on, but what could he say ? He didn’t want him to freak out, and he sounded already rather nervous. Hal’s guess was that he and his Hal had argued recently. 

“What do you know about interdimensional travel ?” he tried. 

“Not that much. Do you think we may have visitors ?” Bruce said, his focus on Hal becoming razor sharp. 

Hal tried not to squirm. Having Bruce’s full attention was always a bit unnerving. 

“You already have. I am not the person you think I am.” he revealed. 

Bruce’s reaction shouldn’t have been a surprise but Hal wasn’t fast enough to prevent the Dark Knight from tackling him to the ground like the average Gotham villain. 

Hal wouldn’t have minded the tackling so much if Bruce’s arm hadn’t been pressing his trachea. 

“Where’s Lantern ? What did you do to him ?” Bruce roared. 

Hal was starting to remember why being open about the dimension jumping thing right away after his arrival in a new world had sounded like a bad idea from the start.

Bruce didn’t kill, he tried to remember himself. Well, his Bruce didn’t. What about this one ? Hal didn’t want to find out.

“I don’t know and I haven’t laid a single finger on Hal. Bruce, let me breathe.” he said in a croaked voice, coughing, trying to grip Bruce’s arm with his free hand.

“You know our identities.” Bruce said.

He was so surprised that he weakened his grip on Hal and Hal pushed him away from him and shielded himself with the help of his ring. 

“I am a Hal and I have a Bruce.” he said after taking some seconds to breathe. 

Bruce’s eyes narrowed. 

“What do you mean ?” he asked.

His eyes hadn't left Hal’s shield. Hal could tell that the second he would let his guard down, Bruce would attack.

“Hi, I am Hal Jordan from another place, Green Lantern, and we have a Batman who’s also Bruce Wayne during his free time.” 

This time, Bruce’s gaze flickered to his eyes. 

“How can I verify this ?” he asked. 

“I’ll suggest DNA testing and then some questions over a beer ? Not very fond of torture.”

That would only work if Hal and the Hal from this world had very similar pasts, but Hal really didn’t want to spend the rest of his stay here in a securized prison to let Bruce check his background. 

“Look, I know that me not being the person you expected must be quite upsetting, but it doesn’t mean I am a bad guy. I am just a lost Hal Jordan from another dimension looking for a way home. I don’t want to have anything to do with your world and the lines on your wrists.” Hal said. 

“You have one too.” Bruce told him. 

“It wasn’t there this morning.” 

Bruce’s eyes widened and he ran his fingers on the wave on his arm.

“Does it mean - is the wave on my skin yours ? It would mean I can’t know if Hal’s alive.” he said quietly and a stunned silence filled the room.

Hal just shrugged and let go of his green shield carefully to get closer to Bruce, even if he tried to not forget that this Bruce was a potential threat and had not hesitated to attack him earlier. 

“Look, I’ve jumped worlds a bunch of times in a few days and I am fine. Surely your Hal is too.” he said calmly. 

“You just can’t know that.” Bruce snarled at him.

He couldn’t. He couldn’t know if his own friends and family were okay. He couldn’t, but he wasn’t that bad at pretending he could. 

“No, I can’t know that, but if we don’t have hope, we have nothing. I’ve heard I am good at believing things into being. So, are you going to help me to get home in order to get Hal back ?” 

They were shaking hands when Hal felt the headache coming back.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Since the last Hal’s sudden disappearance, Bruce hadn’t expected for Hal, whether it was the right one or a carbon copy, to show up unprompted, much less to barge in the Watchtower’s meeting room where he and Clark had been working on interdimensional travel. They both rose immediately, Bruce readying himself to grab his cowl if necessary. 

Hal hadn’t even seen him at first, only relaxing a fraction when he caught sight of Clark but still tense enough to catch Bruce’s full attention. Hal was disheveled and breathing too hard and he wasn’t in uniform. He mostly was, when conscious and in the Watchtower but then again, maybe not this Hal. 

Bruce had yet to determine if this was a new version of Hal or the good old one, but the absence of uniform seemed pretty bad. To go unprotected in a place where most people have superpowers of some sort went against your self-preservation instinct, especially when you were a simple human yourself. 

Hal had started gripping Clark’s arms, which was only further confirmation that whatever was happening was quite bad. 

"Clark, you have to go and find him, he flatlined again ! I think… It's worse this time, the line disappeared. Hell.” Hal had started to stay before turning away from the Kryptonian, about to punch a wall when he met Bruce’s gaze. 

“Bruce ?" Hal whispered.

He didn’t wait for an answer, just took two large steps to be in Bruce’s space, grabbed his neck roughly and kissed him hard.

To say Bruce hadn’t been ready for this would be an understatement. He had somehow gathered that it was some version of him that Hal had been worrying about but Hal kissing him and running his fingers through the short hair at the nape of his neck for a second before taking his hands back was a bit more than what he had expected.

The gesture made him freeze completely. Bruce could feel himself blushing at the casual tenderness of Hal’s hand in his hair. It felt really private, and wasn’t it strange with Clark watching them with a wordless fascination, as if they were some fish in an aquarium or something. 

"You. You're an idiot." Hal said, slamming both his palms in Bruce's armored chest abruptly.

Bruce didn’t feel a thing except for Hal’s frustration, and the naked skin of his hands encountering the armor so brutally made Hal wince, and look who looked like an idiot now, Bruce would have said so if he hadn’t been shaken in the slightest by Hal’s previous gestures. 

His eyes were focused on Hal, he couldn’t have looked away even if he had wanted to but Hal averted his eyes and turned his back to Bruce. Had he been tearing up ? It might have been a trick of the light but he seemed like Hal might have been. 

Well, not Hal. A Hal, that was obvious, but not Bruce’s usual one, that was for certain. 

"Don't. Don't look at me like that. I saw it, I know you flatlined, don't you dare deny it to my face. What were you even doing this time ?" Hal asked, pacing the room.

He seemed to have completely forgotten about Clark, who stood there awkwardly. Apparently, he hadn’t figured out if he should stay or not. Bruce wanted him there but he wouldn’t blame him if he left the heavy atmosphere of the room. 

"You should calm down." Bruce said levelly to Hal. 

Hal stopped pacing and went back to Bruce, adopting a threatening stance. It would have been more impressive if they didn’t know each other’s intimidation tactics. Hal wasn’t even trying hard. Bruce’s kids could look way more frightening without making an effort.

Oh, Hal was furious. This, Bruce was able to read in his naked eyes. The fire that he so frequently ignited here - not always accidentally, if Bruce was honest with himself- was there. That and something else that Bruce was more equipped than most to recognize. Raw pain. He didn’t know why it was here, but he had no doubt about the nature of the emotion. It was suffering, suffering fuelling Hal’s anger. 

"I should - you realize how painful it is for me or you really don't give a shit ? Do I need to do it to you in order for you to understand how it makes me feel ? If staying alive is so difficult for you, why don't you talk to me about it ? Or to anyone else ? You can't just live like that. You can’t make me live like that. I can’t." Hal said, and his voice wasn’t shaking.

No, his whole body was instead. To the point Bruce felt necessary to steady him and grabbed his arms. 

"Hal, stop." he said calmly, blue eyes affronting darker ones. 

Hal tore himself away from his grip and took a step back before crossing his arms on his chest, the picture of angst. 

"No ! I am not going to watch while you try your best to get killed.” Hal said, screwing his eyes shut. “Clark, please back me on this." he said finally, looking over his shoulder for support. 

Clark sighed and took an hesitant step closer to them. He was clearly a reluctant third party here.

"Hal. What Bruce is trying to say is that we don't know what you're talking about. The last few days, a few Hals from other worlds had visited us and the evidence you provided strongly suggests you are not in the right world.” 

"Wait, I am not home ?" Hal said, and he looked really puzzled as he took in his environment. 

Bruce couldn’t blame him, if it looked as similar to his Watchtower’s meeting room as this Hal was to Bruce’s real Hal. 

"No." he confirmed to Hal. “It’s probably similar enough but this isn’t your home.”

Hal seemed to accept that without a fuss. Bruce had thought he would fight this, but even this Hal looked like he had to take in stride stranger things. 

His attention was now focused on Bruce. He was looking at him curiously, as if searching his face for some clue.

“You’re not Bruce.” Hal said, and he sounded quite tense, now. 

“Not the one you’re thinking about.” Bruce nodded. 

"I kissed you." Hal said. 

He looked disappointed in himself and a touch embarrassed. 

"I am quite certain the Bruce from your place wouldn't mind. It was one of the reasons that made me assume you were not from here."

Hal furrowed his brows, apparently thinking hard. 

"Why ?" he asked after some time, when it was clear he wouldn’t think of an adequate answer on his own. 

Bruce was less than impressed with his reasoning skills. His Hal had better logic than that. 

"Jordan and I are not in a relationship where kissing is expected.” he said, crossing his fingers. 

"You broke up." Hal said, and here it was again, the pain. “You didn’t manage.” 

"No, we've never been an item." Bruce answered back. 

"You didn't know you were soulmates before I told you Bruce and I are ?" Hal asked after a few seconds. 

He didn’t dare look at Bruce to hear his answer. 

"We're not soulmates. In this place, we don't have soulmates." Bruce explained, looking at Clark for some help, but in vain. 

The Kryptonian just seemed very fascinated by their conversation and not willing at all to intervene. 

"That's… strange, I guess." Hal said, shrugging. 

Bruce could tell the idea of not having a soulmate made him uncomfortable. His world wasn’t one for loners, so learning he was here on his own was bound to make him uncomfortable. 

"If you say so."

Hal's gaze flicked down to his own arm and the tenseness in his whole body was fully back. That and the pain Bruce could read in his eyes. 

"My arm. My soulmate is dying. Send me back." Hal said, gripping Bruce's arm.

"How could you know that ?" Bruce asked, and it was not without kindness, as he was faced with a rather distraught man whose face was his teammate’s. 

"The wave on my arm. It’s like an ECG of some sort. Bruce’s, actually, since we are soulmates. It's not there. It hadn't even gone flat, it's not there anymore. If Bruce is really, really dead this time -" Hal stopped, not ready to finish his sentence. 

Clark decided to help Bruce out there, finally. Thankfully, because Bruce didn’t know what to say to that. 

"We don't have ECGs on our arms, here. Maybe it's just that and yours will come back when you'll be back home." Clark was saying comfortingly.

"You really believed that ?" Hal asked Bruce, arching an eyebrow at Bruce.

Bruce didn’t have an answer for this. Until then, the Hals they had received hadn’t lost their characteristics during their misplacement. Until then.

First Hal had that white-ish mark on his arm, he didn’t know about second Hal but the man hadn’t said anything about something having changed, and third Hal had been covered with tattoos. 

However, Bruce could tell that parameters were changing. The last Hal had just disappeared into thin air instead of being replaced. 

"You're worried." Bruce stated, but he stopped because he couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

Way to state the obvious, Bruce. Bad move, according to Hal’s darkening expression. 

"You think ? My soulmate is an egocentrist with self-destructive tendencies and limited care for my feelings on the matter. Worried is my second name. I was about to change for OA and just checked my arm one last time to reassure myself when I noticed something was wrong with his cardiac activity AGAIN. Now, do you have any idea about how to send me back real quick ? The wave is still gone and there’s only so much hope I can put in your theory.” 

“We’ll do what we can but you must understand -” 

Bruce didn’t get to finish his sentence before his whatever-this-Hal-was-to-him's disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on [Affairs of the Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473655) (a fic I am supposed to edit because of medical inaccuracies pointed out by an helpful reader, but I hate editing, so try to forget about the medical part for now).
> 
> Next chapter is going to be based on [A Feeling of Permanence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604852).


	5. A Feeling of Permanence Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "A Feeling of Permanence", Hal and Bruce aren't soulmates but they've been together for a few years. They have other people's names written on their skin. Hal makes an important gesture and Bruce answers back by proposing very casually. Hal says yes.
> 
> This chapter happens maybe a year later.

This time, the dimension jumping felt like waking up. Waking up already standing, hence why Hal stumbled. Thankfully Bruce -well, a Bruce - was facing him and he steadied him. Bruce mouthed his name and Hal answered “I am fine” under his breath.

That was when he noticed Bruce’s clothes, his, the aisle, all the people, the altar, the priest. He felt Bruce tug his tuxedo’s sleeve lightly. 

"Hal, don’t freak out now. Please tell me you didn't drag me to all those repetitions for nothing." Bruce said.

“Uh.”

“Just say yes.” 

Oh, they had reached that point. Shit. Hal’s eyes were bulging. What was he going to do ? Hal took an hesitant step closer to Bruce and took Bruce's face into his hands. 

"I - I… This isn't a no, okay ? I promise. I am just not…" Hal started saying, too fast and too low. 

"Hal ?" Bruce said, and he sounded unsure. 

What he was to do to him broke Hal’s heart a little bit. 

"I just need more time, alright ? I am so, so, so sorry. I'll say yes next time. I - I have to go. Forgive me." Hal murmured. 

He felt Bruce reach for him, catch his sleeve. Hal closed his eyes. Come on, that man deserved better than that.

"I - I love you." he said and allowed himself to kiss Bruce just for a second to convey the feeling before turning his back to him.

Hal started going down the aisle toward the door quickly, each step feeling more liberating. 

"Hal !" Bruce called after him but Hal just walked faster, ran to the exit, head held low. He didn’t want to see the astonished faces in the assembly.

Once he had gone through the heavy set of doors, he had gone straight to the only place he could think of.

Bruce found him two hours later. He had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt that looked like it could belong to Hal, but Hal was still wearing his wedding suit. 

Bruce sat on the grass next to him, not saying a thing. Looking straight at the horizon.

“How did you find me ?” Hal asked after a few seconds of silence. 

“I checked your quarters at the Watchtower first but I know you often go there to think.” 

“You must think it’s very healthy.” Hal said, staring at the exact place of the crash. 

Many years ago, it was there that his Dad had died under Hal’s helpless eyes. Strangely, Hal liked coming there. 

“Well, we try our best not to talk about everyone else’s little healthy habits in this family.” Bruce said, shrugging. 

Hal smiled at that but it was weak.

“That is if you still want to be that. Family.” Bruce said, looking at Hal.

His eyes were red-rimmed and Hal had rarely felt so bad about himself. 

“Bruce, I am so sorry. Leaving you at the altar -” Hal said, and he choked on his words.

What more could he say ?

“Just tell me the truth, Hal. Why ?”

Yes, that. The truth. It felt quite necessary right now, because Hal was quite sure he had just broken another guy’s heart. 

“I am not the man you think I am.” he said, looking at Bruce.

“Don’t tell me, I think I have figured it out. You’re a superhero with a double identity ?” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow. 

He didn’t even smile this time. 

“That’s not what I meant -” Hal said, ready to explain but Bruce talked over him. 

“Are you already married ? Because if that’s not the thing that prevents you from marrying me, I know you enough to know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter what your objections could be.” Bruce said earnestly. 

It sounded so sincere and desperate, it made Hal feel a bit sick. 

“The thing is that you don’t, Bruce. You don’t know me, you don’t want to marry me. I do look like him, but I am not the Hal you were about to marry.” Hal explained. 

Bruce’s hand closed into a fist around a few strands of grass. 

“Is there a philosophical meaning to this I don’t get ? Because it sounds a lot like bullshit, Hal. If you didn’t want us to get involved this way, we could have figured something out, you could have talked to me.” 

“No. I didn’t mean I have a change of mind, I meant I am not the man who has agreed to marry you, and you’re not the Bruce I am used to. You’ve heard of interdimensional travel ? I am not your Hal. Your Hal has never left you at the altar. Would probably never do something like that.” 

Bruce blinked and turned toward Hal fully, letting go of the grass. 

“How do you want me to believe that ?”

Hal took the time to think about what he was going to say. When he felt ready, he looked at Bruce. 

“We’ve seen more extraordinary things. And I have never had the kind of relationship you have with Hal with anyone. The Bruce from my place and I have… issues.” Hal admitted.  
“You could ask someone else to read my mind, if it could make you feel better about the whole thing, but I’d like you to trust me on this one. My Bruce wouldn’t have, but I think you know Hal’s expressions better. I have never seen you before this afternoon. Do you believe me ?”

“It’s madness.” Bruce said but he was still sitting here next to Hal.

He would have left if he didn’t believe him, Hal was certain of that. 

“Everything we do is out of the ordinary. Do you believe me ?” Hal insisted.

He could read the answer in Bruce’s steely gaze before the man spoke.

“I do.” Bruce said, and his words echoed the one he should have said earlier if Hal had given him the chance.

Hal smiled at that and squeezed his shoulder. 

“I admire the relationship you have built with your Hal. Looking for him after he left you at the altar ?”

“I wanted an explanation.” Bruce said to justify himself. 

“But you didn’t get angry. You didn’t yell or cry or accused him of anything. You acted like you felt concerned, you pushed your feelings and your pain away and tried to understand Hal’s views. It’s more than kindness, it’s …, uh, care. Hal is a lucky man.” 

“Would be if he was here.” Bruce objected. 

Hal nodded his understanding. 

“And like you said, I do “care” about the man I was about to marry.” Bruce said, mimicking the quotation marks Hal could hear in his tone. 

Hal made a face. 

“I am sorry for ruining your wedding. Your Hal must hate my guts. I am certain you have questions. About the how, and the why, and what happened to the man you love. I don’t have answers. I don’t know what the hell is happening.” he said in a graver tone.

Hal buried his face into his hands. This time, it was this world’s Bruce who squeezed his shoulder. It made Hal laugh a bit hollowly. 

“I’ve been jumping dimensions repeatedly those last days. I just want to go home, to be with my people. All the Bruces I have met had been way nicer than mine, and I am going to regret saying this someday, but I swear to God, I miss the bastard.” 

There was an arm wrapped around Hal’s shoulders, now.

“ ‘m fine.” Hal said. 

“Sure you are.” Bruce said, holding him a bit tighter. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You’ve already apologized.” Bruce answered. 

“I’m sorry because my Bruce is shit at comforting people and your Hal may need it too.” Hal said, getting a bit escaping Bruce’s hug but not going too far away from him. 

“It’s okay. We’ll find a way to bring him back and send you home.” Bruce said, with a stubbornness that was familiar.

“Each time I try to do that, I jump into another dimension.” Hal said, kicking a pebble. 

“Would you rather stay here without even trying ?” Bruce asked.

Hal sighed. This Bruce knew him too well. He just couldn’t do that, right ? He had to do something.

“Why does that shit happen to me ?” Hal said, looking up at the sky. 

“Have you considered it happening to your Bruce too ? If he’s meeting other Hals like you seem to think.” Bruce said.

“That’s my working hypothesis but we have no evidence of that.” Hal said, shrugging. 

For all he knew, he was just missing from his universe and no one had replaced him. He wasn’t sure of his preference. 

“We don’t, but it’s a possibility. Maybe you’re not at the center of this. Maybe he is, or you both are.” Bruce suggested.

“Are you and Hal soulmates ?” Hal asked suddenly. 

Bruce threw him a pointed look. 

“Why are you asking ?”

“We don’t have soulmates where I come from, but some of the Bruces I’ve met had Hals for soulmates.” Hal explained. 

Bruce relaxed perceptively when Hal said soulmates were of no real importance for him. 

“Hal and I have soulmates. But we’re not each other’s soulmate. Sometimes the right person for you is not the one who has your name on their skin.” Bruce said. 

Hal nodded, just when he started having that sensation that could only mean one thing : he was going to change places. Again. He wished for home without much hope. 

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bruce woke up to an intruder barging in his room. An intruder that was far too awake and joyful for who knew what hour it was. 

“Bruce, come on, we can’t be late ! What if I haven’t been looking for you, would you have just slept through it all ?” Hal was saying, drawing the curtains open to coax Bruce into getting out of bed.

“Late ?” Bruce said, blinking owlishly. 

Obviously this was another damn Hal who had strange coupley expectations of him but he felt it was too early to deal with this. Well, it wasn’t that early but Bruce had gone to bed at four in the morning. 

The novelty of having Hal in his bedroom only started striking him then, but Hal didn’t let him dwell on it. 

“Yes, you remember the wedding ?” he said in an exasperated tone.

“Of course.” Bruce said, because he doubted this Hal would accept his explanations easily and needed some time to gather his thoughts about how to break the news to Hal that he was in the wrong world. 

“Well, get ready then. We can’t make all those important people you invite wait.” Hal insisted. 

That was sufficient to wake Bruce entirely. 

“We’re getting married ?” he checked with Hal. 

He was quite certain it was what Hal had implied. Hal’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re having me on, right ? You don’t have that much of a hangover ? What did Clark give you ? Do you feel sick ? ” he said, putting his shoes off and climbing in the bed to get closer to Bruce in record times. 

He looked mildly concerned but Bruce batted his hand away when Hal tried touching his forehead.

“I am good. We can’t get married.” he said, sitting up more straightly.

Hal was less than a meter away. He bit his lips but Bruce knew he wanted to smile, his eyes betrayed him as he took Bruce’s hand. 

“Oh. I didn’t think you'd be - okay. It’s fine Bruce, it’s just your nerves. We can do it, we made it through much worse.” Hal asserted, stroking his hand absentmindedly. 

“I am not nervous !” Bruce said, crossing his arms on his chest.

He felt too exposed, with Hal’s full attention on him.

“Whatever you say, love.” Hal said, kissing Bruce’s nose softly before leaving Bruce’s bed and putting his shoes back on. “Get dressed.” he added with a smile before turning his back to Bruce. 

“Wait, don’t leave ! Jordan !” Bruce called, but it didn’t make Hal stop.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send you Clark, but maybe you should get dressed first. It will be fine. I hope you enjoyed saying my name, I am not going to be just a Jordan for long.” Hal said, turning back. 

He was almost at the door, and Bruce didn’t know how to stop him. Well, he may have an idea. 

“Lantern.” 

Bruce’s tone was commanding and urgent. That was enough to make Hal freeze and go back to him.

“What’s wrong ?” Hal said, discarding his shoes and sitting back on the bed again, closer this time. Almost on Bruce’s lap. 

“I am afraid the wedding is going to be postponed.” Bruce said. 

Hal furrowed his brows and put his hand on Bruce’s arm. He looked quite upset but it wasn’t like it was Bruce’s fault. 

“Why’s that ? I thought you didn’t have anything in Gotham your allies couldn’t deal with at the time ? And it’s just an afternoon, anyway.” he pleaded. 

“That’s not about Gotham. Jordan, look around you. Isn’t there anything wrong ?” Bruce said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Hal frowned but did as he was told. 

“You’ve decided to redecorate ? I didn’t pay attention last night. I prefered the last version. Less gloomy, more like a home.” Hal said, laughing. 

He didn’t laugh for long when he caught Bruce’s gaze. 

“Are you familiar with the concept of dimension travellers ?” Bruce finally said, and it made Hal shut up for a few seconds. 

“You’re not Bruce. That’s why you’re acting so strange. Oh. What am I going to say to all the guests ?” Hal said.

Bruce hadn’t expected him to figure it out so quickly. Well, if he was getting married to his Bruce, he knew him pretty well, supposedly. 

“I guess your groom will be the one who would have to deal with that. You’re the one who jumped dimensions. Have a better look. There’s nothing belonging to you in this room.” Bruce said, getting up to get dressed. 

“That’s. Wow. I was supposed to get married.” Hal said.

“I gathered.” Bruce snapped from the dressing. 

“To you. Well, not to you-you, apparently, but you get my meaning. Fuck, does this mean Bruce is waiting for me and I wouldn’t be there ?” 

Bruce got out of the dressing fully dressed - he was always quick to change, something he had got used to when he had to swap the Batsuit for a designer suit. 

“We suppose the Hal from this dimension has been sent there if it’s any consolation. Must be quite awkward for him.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s a consolation for you. Are you and Hal close ?” Hal asked.

Bruce glared at him. 

“Complicated wouldn’t even begin to cover our relationship. But I used to give him less credit than I should have, and we think he’d be travelling through several dimensions unintentionally lately. I’d like to have him back here for good. If I have to deal with Hal Jordan, I’d rather keep the one I was getting used to.”

“Oh, I see. You want him back for convenience's sake.” Hal nodded knowingly but he didn’t make any more commenting.

Bruce decided to ignore the mocking tone. 

“You get it. Now, I thought you wanted to go back to your world, your groom, your wedding ceremony and your guests. Let’s go to the Cave. I did some research on interdimensional travel last night.” he said as they went out of the room. 

“Anything useful ?” Hal asked on their way to the Cave.

He was in civies again, and Bruce wasn’t used to seeing him out of his uniform so often. It made him appear more human. It was easy to forget that without the ring, Hal was just as vulnerable as Bruce without his armor. 

“Not for now, but we have a lot of reading to do. Please, mark the pages you read in case you disappear back into your world and someone else has to relay you. Green cross for anything that might be useful, red one for anything that isn’t. Highlight anything you want. 

Hal had barely had the time to put a red cross on two pages when Bruce had disappeared. A second later, he had changed places too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me : I am not writing cliffhangers  
> Me : *write mini-cliffhangers at the end of each chapter*
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a continuation of [A Feeling of Permanence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604852).  
> Next chapter will be based on [Date me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268714).


	6. Date me Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My favorite chapter so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "Date me", Hal and Bruce find out they are soulmates and that the date on their skins match with the day they met. They decide to give themselves a try. 
> 
> This chapter happens not long after.

"Ow, my head.” Hal groaned, massaging his temples.

“You’re okay ?” Bruce asked him. 

“Just a headache. Weren’t we about to dine at the restaurant ?” Hal said, looking around him.

Obviously, they were in his flat, and why would he bring someone in his flat for a first date, that was beyond him. 

“I felt like that too but apparently we’re here. Do you have anything I could cook ?” 

“Uh - pasta, maybe ? But there’s a convenience store nearby. And we can eat take out, I am not making you cook. It was supposed to be a date.” Hal answered as Bruce started opening the cupboards.

Even that, Bruce was doing it methodically, taking the time to memorize what each cupboard and drawers countained. His intense gaze wasn’t missing anything, and if Hal didn’t pay attention, he was going to start feeling jealous of the cutlery who was currently receiving Bruce’s undivided attention.

Bruce selected a large wooden spoon and a pan after close inspection. 

“No, that would be perfect and I don’t mind cooking. I’ll boil some water for the pasta, can you go buy some tomatoes for the sauce ? And onions ?” Bruce asked, taking command of the kitchen. 

“I had never had a date cooking for me.” Hal observed when he came back with the tomatoes and the onions. 

Bruce was looking at Hal as if he had planned to have him for dessert, and if it was his intention, well Hal would consider himself a lucky man. 

“Have you ever had a date ? One night stands don’t count.” Bruce finally said when he looked away from Hal. 

“You’re meaner than a guy wearing a cooking apron should be.” Bruce said, tapping Bruce’s shoulder. 

“There are clothes you can’t be mean in ?” Bruce asked him. 

“Stop embarrassing me. What can I do ?”

“Cut the onions.” Bruce said and really, Hal shouldn’t be surprised by the bossiness. 

Hal started doing as he was told. 

“Why not the tomatoes ?” he asked, because discussing Bruce’s orders was never not going to be entertaining. 

“I’ll do them. They can’t make you cry.” Bruce said. 

“You making me cry on our first date is a bad omen, babe.” Hal said, laughing. 

“You think so, honey ?” Bruce said, stressing the “honey” out.

It took a few seconds for Hal to remember what he had said and he had to fight a blush when he did remember. 

“Bruce Wayne, looking as good in casual clothes in a kitchen, in the Batsuit and in a billionaire's suit. Have you considered acting ?” he asked. 

“They said I would distract my co-stars too much.” 

“They weren’t wrong. I could totally have dodged that kick last time.” Hal said, shaking his head. 

“I thought you said you didn’t block it because you had the sun in your eyes.” 

“You’re my sun, Bruce.” Hal said, battling his eyelashes at him. 

Bruce rolled his eyes and slapped Hal’s side with the dish towel lightly.

“Yeah, yeah, can you lay the table if you’ve finished with the onions and the bad pick up lines ? Hal. You’ve used all the onions ?” Bruce said when he turned back from the countertop and caught sight of the small pile of cut onions. 

“Uh, yes ?” Hal said, looking at Bruce quizzically. 

“The five onions you bought ? Just for the two of us ?” Bruce added, and now he was laughing. 

“Hey, you could have said something about it earlier.” Hal said, shrugging. 

“Right. Sorry.” Bruce said but he couldn’t stop laughing. 

“I didn’t know Batman could be so easily entertained.” Hal muttered before looking for plates. 

He would have been vexed if Bruce didn’t look so good when he laughed. 

“I don’t have wine, but there are some fresh beers if you’re interested ?” Hal said once he had laid the table.

“That’s good for me.” Bruce approved. 

“You know, it’s stange, but I feel like some stuff has changed places.” Hal said later, when they were both sitting with full plates in front of them. 

Bruce had been right, it was a perfect dinner. 

“I may have rearranged your kitchen a little when you were gone.” Bruce admitted.

Hal had felt that way before Bruce started touching anything in the kitchen but Bruce being in his kitchen might have been the thing that had made him feel like the room was different somehow. 

“I was back in less than ten minutes !” he protested. 

“Plenty of time to reorganize.” Bruce said, smiling.

“We’re having a good time there, but don’t you feel like something is wrong ?” Hal said hesitantly.

Bruce shrugged.

“You’re nervous.” 

“Not that. Something is wrong about the place. It feels different.” Hal said. 

“Different how ?” Bruce asked, now fully alert. 

A vigilante’s instinct was something you should trust and Hal wouldn’t have insisted so much if he wasn’t truly feeling uneasy.

“I am not sure. A bit like… You’re going to laugh, but a bit like if the person who lived here wasn’t me. It’s just some details but -”

Hal didn’t get to finish his sentence before they were both sent back to the right dimension.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Hal rubbed his forehead and found himself sitting at a restaurant table. His stomach growled and he looked down at his plate. Mashed sweet potatoes probably. And mashed violet-ish potatoes it would seem. With meat. Pork, maybe ? It smelled heavenly. 

Hal looked around him. The place looked cosy and not too fancy. Several couples and some groups of friends, mostly people older than thirty if not forty, were dining.

Finally, Hal’s eyes went to the person facing him. Seeing Bruce there wasn’t a surprise, but wow did the man know how to look good just gazing into space. He seemed lost in his thoughts himself, which was a good thing because the detective was bound to notice Hal ignoring him for two minutes straight as he got used to the place. 

Hal didn’t know if they were still in Gotham, but probably not if nobody batted an eye at Bruce’s presence. Well, people looked, but that seemed to be mere appreciation. Oh, people looked at Hal sometimes too, but Bruce made heads turn more often than not. 

Bruce said something but Hal didn’t quite catch it.

“Sorry honey, you were saying ?” Hal asked softly, his hand covering Bruce’s lightly.

It was a dangerous game to play, but Hal’s face didn’t feel like reacquainting with the floor anytime soon - it was a miracle it hadn’t bruised. And Hal wouldn’t mind enjoying a good dinner.

Bruce just shook his head and Hal felt mesmerized. Hal tended to underestimate how handsome Bruce was. He knew it, of course, but in a rather abstract way, since Bruce didn’t make a habit of directing his charm at him. 

“What were you thinking about ?”

“Got distracted by the view.” Hal said, winking and Bruce laughed. 

“How are the mashed Vitelotte potatoes ?” he asked.

“Sorry ?” Hal asked, because the word between “mashed” and “potatoes” hadn’t sounded like it was part of the English language. 

“The mashed blue-violet potatoes, darling.” Bruce had said, a twinkle in his eyes. 

“Snob.” Hal shot back, but he put a bit of the mashed violet French potatoes on his fork and proposed it to Bruce nevertheless. 

Something seemed to flick for a brief second in Bruce’s gaze but he accepted to be fed by Hal, closing his eyes to enjoy the taste even more. 

Hal started wondering if something was wrong with the air conditioning. He was feeling hot, looking at Bruce’s dark eyelashes.

“Delicious. Anything you’d like to taste ?” Bruce asked, gesturing at his plate.

Hal let his gaze fall on Bruce’s dish. Razor clam salad, if the shells were any indication. He made a face that made Bruce laugh.

Apparently he was good at that, making Bruce laugh. It made him oddly proud. 

Which reminded him… Not the right Bruce. It wasn’t fair for the guy, he was flirting with Hal unknowingly, thinking he was seducing his husb - no, no ring, so his fiancé or something of the sort. It didn’t really make Hal feel any better about it. He had already ruined a wedding ceremony, maybe he could refrain from ruining a whole relationship. 

Hal took a sip of his wine - red and of good quality, that was all Hal could tell about it - but it didn’t help him to make a clear choice. Couldn’t he wait ? Was it really the best moment ? Couldn’t he just make the most of this evening ? The food was good and so was the company.

He felt a warm hand clasping his. 

“You’re lost in your thoughts, tonight. Anything you’d like to talk about ?” Bruce asked, drawing circles with his thumb on the back of Hal’s hand. 

Hal tried to relax, took a deep breath. 

“I am sorry to be such a bad date.” he told Bruce, not meeting his gaze.

And yet, the man didn’t even know half of it. 

“That wasn’t what I meant and you know it. Something is bothering you.” Bruce said.

And here it was again, that sharpness in Bruce’s gaze Hal had seen in other Bruces too. The man had kept his tone rather casual but he was going to pay close attention to Hal’s next words, ready to dissect them carefully.  
Hal lowered his eyes, his cheeks burning. Was it shame ? Was it Bruce’s seductive attitude ? He wasn’t even sure anymore. He cleared his throat.

“No. I am - it’s nice to be here with you. I mean it, Bruce. I just went through some tough stuff lately and to have a break from it all, it’s really - I am having a good time, here.” he said. 

Bruce squeezed his hand before he took back his. 

“Let’s enjoy the rest of the evening, then.” he said and they kept chatting idly for a while.

Bruce mentioned his kids, Hal his work, and they could have sounded like most couples, if someone had been listening. However it didn’t last for long. 

“Bruce, are you ever afraid ?” Hal asked after some time. 

Bruce raised his glass to his lips before answering, buying himself some time. 

“It happened a few memorable times.” he said carefully. 

“Not to me. I am never afraid. I promised myself to never be when my father died. I am never afraid, but right now, I wonder… Should I be ?” 

Hal was wrong on this one, Bruce could tell. He was already afraid. He had been afraid before, but had willed the fear away before he realized it. 

“Hal, I can’t always read between the lines. Sometimes, you have to talk to me.” Bruce said.

Hal had more to say, and they both knew it. So he did talk afterwards, after they had shared a delicious apple pie’s slice and a rum baba in a comfortable quietness. 

Bruce had not allowed for Hal to pay and they had argued for a bit before they found themselves outside, in a large well-lighted street on a warm night. Hal didn’t recognise the place but Bruce seemed to do since he led Hal without hesitation. They weren’t holding hands but their sides brushed regularly. 

They were walking relatively slowly, enjoying the evening, but Hal knew every good thing had an end, and he needed to tell Bruce he had no idea where they were and that he wasn’t who he thought he was. He waited for them to be in a narrower street with fewer passersby to talk more freely.

“Imagine… Imagine for a second a man going through several dimensions in a short span of time without knowing how or why and with no control on the situation. Imagine him always replacing a loved one and giving the game away each time, always bringing worry and despair. Imagine that man taking the place of your date and imagine that instead of telling you right away and ruining your dinner, he picked to enjoy the evening at your expense, as a break from all this misery. Imagine just that. What would you tell them ?”

Bruce slowed his pace, seemed to consider his options, and smiled briefly, to Hal’s surprise.

“That they are not alone and shouldn’t be afraid, Jordan.” he said, and he stopped walking entirely to lean against a wall. 

“Bruce ?” Hal said, and when had someone said his name with such hope ? 

Bruce didn’t think anyone had ever had. He nodded. 

“The real one ? Mine ?” Hal insisted. 

At that, Bruce laughed frankly. Hal tried to elbow him but Bruce dodged his teammate’s move easily. 

“I wouldn’t have said yours, but yes, the one from your dimension.” he stated, serious again. “However, this is not our world. The restaurant we ate in closed a few years ago back home.” Bruce explained. 

“Don’t be a prick. By the way, what was the flirting for ?” Hal said, crossing his arms.

“I didn’t know it was you.” Bruce admitted.

“So you just decided to hit on someone else’s boyfriend ?” Hal said, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Bruce shrugged, unapologetic. 

“So did you, and I didn’t hear you complaining. Not to mention I wouldn’t have let it go too far.” 

Hal didn’t dare to ask what “too far” implied for his teammate.

“I’ve woken up naked next to you once and your paranoid ass nearly strangled me another time. And I ran away from our wedding a few hours ago. I needed a peaceful evening, give me some slack. How did you find yourself here ?” Hal asked.

He didn’t feel like arguing with Bruce, not when he had craved so much for a familiar presence in this mess and finally got it.

“Not the rescue mission you’ve been hoping for, I am afraid. I am sorry, Jordan. I don’t have more information.” Bruce said, his lips tight. 

“So, what ? We’re just doomed to jump dimensions continually ? Or is that just me and you were on a visit ?”

“There must be a reason. We’ll find it. And then we’ll find a way to stop this. We’ll go home, Jordan.” Bruce said, taking a step closer to his teammate.

Hal looked deep into the blue eyes piercing his. 

“Hal.” he said, extending his hand. 

Bruce took it and pulled Hal closer to him. Hal didn’t look away. 

“Fine, Hal.” Bruce said, smiling.

Hal looked down at their hands, still joined together. When he looked up at Bruce, the Dark Knight seemed quite alarmed. 

“I think - don’t be afraid.” Bruce whispered, grabbing Hal’s face urgently and letting his lips graze Hal’s -barely a pressure - just before he disappeared.

“No !” Hal screamed when his fingers closed around thin air. “Bruce !” he called and then he felt the pull too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I hope that chapter wasn't too confusing.  
> Just in case :  
> In the first part, new Hal and new Bruce (Hal and Bruce 6) that you hadn't met yet in this fic, had been transported to Old World (World 0, the place good old Bruce and Hal are from).  
> In the second part old Hal and old Bruce (Hal and Bruce 0, the ones we follow since the start of this fic) found themselves in New World (World 6).
> 
> Hopefully this isn't more confusing, but if it is, please report it to me.
> 
> So yes, a true cliffhanger this time. I've just planned some good ones for later, but I have yet to write them. 
> 
> Chapter (loosely) based on [Date me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268714).  
> Next chapter will be about [I Just Want A Soulmate Who Doesn't Hate Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912469).


	7. I Just Want A Soulmate Who Doesn't Hate Me Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In “I Just Want A Soulmate Who Doesn’t Hate Me.”, when people write on their skin with their soulmate pen, the words appear on their soulmate’s skin. Bruce and Hal find they are soulmates when they’re about to start dating and go separate ways until Bruce gets hurt on a mission. They make up and start dating. 
> 
> This is what happens a few months later.

A second ago, Bruce had been with him. Now… Now, Hal felt even more alone than before. For a few minutes, he had been naive enough to believe that things would get better with the Bruce from his world at his side. He hadn’t thought they would be separated, not really, even if the idea had brushed his mind. 

Bruce had cupped his face with his hands and kissed him and it had felt like things would be fine. An illusion. Before Hal could lean into the kiss correctly, he and Bruce had been torn away from each other. In retrospect, it was certainly why Bruce had kissed him. He must have felt he was about to disappear on Hal and offered a messed up apology. 

Bruce had much to learn about apologizing. Not that all this was his fault. Hal doubted it. If someone was behind this, they were taking revenge on Hal, not Bruce. 

Or maybe it was just sheer bad luck. 

Well, it was of no use to dwell on it. He was already somewhere else. Somewhere really comfortable. A bed. Hal had missed sleeping.  
An alarm clock was ringing. 1 o’clock. Hal turned it off - whoever had set it wasn’t there - and turned in the sheets.

He half expected to find someone else in the bed, especially since the sheets felt more expensive than Hal’s usual. But there was no sign of a Bruce of any sort. Good, Hal could just take a nap then. He felt like he needed it. 

He woke up when someone slipped between the sheets next to him.

“Bruce ?” he murmured, just in case he was now in some other loop where he was dating someone else’s than Bruce.

One could only hope. However, Hal didn’t complain when that Bruce answered positively and wrapped his - warm, sinewy - arms around him.

“I didn’t want to wake you. Didn’t think you’d be back so quickly. Not without a message. And without triggering any detectors, congrats.” Bruce said, kissing his forehead. “Shh, go back to sleep. You must be exhausted, if you’ve already made the trip back.” 

Hal nodded before crackling an eye open. Had Bruce pattroled all night ? 

“What time -” he started asking.

Bruce held him just a little bit tighter, nuzzling Hal’s neck. 

“The sun is going to rise. That was a busy night.” he said, yawning.

“But you’re alright.” Hal said, half-asleep.

Bruce wouldn’t have told him if he had been bleeding all over the sheets and Hal would have had to find him dead in the morning, but in his - physically and emotionally - exhausted state, he would believe any answer Bruce would give him.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get some sleep.” Bruce murmured against Hal’s ear, tangling their legs together.

Not so long ago, Hal had freaked out when he had woken up in that other Bruce’s bed, but it only took him a few seconds to relax enough to fall asleep in this one’s arms.

*******************************************************

Kissing Hal had been a wrong move. It hadn’t felt like it, when Hal had looked at him wide-eyed and so starved for comfort. It was just a promise to bring him home, that everything will be okay as he felt himself being pulled elsewhere. Relief at knowing his teammate was safe, maybe. Nothing more.

It had nothing to do with how handsome Hal had looked under the street lights. 

Of all the stupid things that could have kept him awake, Bruce would never have bet on worrying for Hal Jordan. But here he was, pacing, thinking of the man. 

Where could he be now ? Still on that pavement ? Or had been pulled into another dimension once again ? 

Bruce’s research wasn't progressing. The rest of the League had helped him with it but they had found nothing of relevance. 

Occasional, voluntary interdimensional experiences had happened before, but they had been carefully monitored and planned. 

What Hal had been living through, it was unheard of. He had told Hal he would bring him home, but he could do nothing to make it happen. 

Bruce had been back in his own world for a while - he had checked with Clark - but there hadn’t been any sign of another Hal yet. Was it the end of the parade of Hals ? What would it mean, if it was ? Would the Hal Jordan of this dimension ever come back or would he be forever lost between dimensions ? 

Bruce couldn’t allow that, not after what he had said to Hal. He had encouraged him to hope. He couldn’t have done that in vain, he couldn’t have done that when there was no hope to have, he couldn’t have lied to Hal’s face the last time he had seen him. 

Bruce paced some more before facing the facts : he wasn’t going to be able to sleep for a while, not when Hal’s hopeful eyes shone behind his eyelids. He turned on the lights. Just in time to notice words writing themselves on his naked arms. He put off his t-shirt. 

His own name was written all over his right arm, and now on his left one, in silver letters. There was a silver pen on the nightstand that Bruce could have sworn had not been there before. It was the color of the ink on his skin. Bruce grabbed it, and on an intuition, wrote _“Hal ?”_ just after the last series of Bruce he had seen appear.

 _“No, your other soulmate.”_ Bruce got for answer.

Bruce sat on his bed. 

Well, it clarified it. The message wasn’t from his world’s Hal. Bruce couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. For a second, he had thought that Hal may have found a medium to communicate with their world. 

_“What’s wrong ?”_ he wrote nevertheless, because no one wrote someone else’s name so many times on their arms without a reason.

 _“Nothing. I just wanted to see you write.”_ was the answer this time. 

Bruce frowned. Sure, the man he was communicating with wasn’t the Hal he knew, but the previous ones had been similar enough to Hal and that message ? It didn’t feel right. He doubted Hal would have worried his soulmate over nothing. Despite the appearances, he wasn’t that much of an attention seeker. 

_“The truth, Hal.”_ he wrote, changing the J he had written impulsively in a H before writing the rest of Hal’s first name. 

Maybe it was too short and unfeeling, but it got him an answer. 

_“Just talk to me, please.”_ Hal wrote, and now that Bruce was taking better notice, his handwriting doesn’t seem as neat as usual. 

_“Is it about the mission ?”_ Bruce asked.

Bold move. He couldn’t know for sure that Hal was in space, but that would explain his absence and why he would choose such a way to communicate with Bruce.

And the short form of address. If Hal was upset, that might explain him not wanting to talk.

 _“The mission went alright.”_ Bruce read.

There was something Hal was keeping from him, he was certain of it now. 

_“Aren’t you coming back ?”_ he tried. 

It took Hal a few seconds to answer, and each letter seemed traced with a particular care. 

_“Yeah. Coming home. Love you, Bruce.”_

Short sentences were not Hal’s style. Bruce had a bad feeling about this. The short sentences and the stilted handwriting were evidence enough. 

_“You’re injured.”_ he wrote. 

It wasn’t a question. He knew before Hal answered.

_“Not much Oan technology can’t heal.”_

_“You promise ?”_ Bruce wrote. 

Most aliens had more resistant systems than humans. They were good doctors but sometimes their treatments acted too slow for injured humans. Bruce had heard Hal say that much, once. 

And then, when he didn’t get an answer after a few seconds, Bruce wrote again : “Hal ?”

Hal didn’t make any effort to maintain a steady handwriting now that the cat was out of the bag. He probably didn’t have the energy to do so, anyway. The letters were messy, coming one after the other more slowly than they should have. 

_“They’re going to try to fix it now. Say it back. Just in case.”_ Hal said. 

_“I love you. Don’t you dare die.”_ Bruce said, underlining the second sentence twice.

It owed him a kind of smiling face drawing from Hal. And a heart. 

_“Can’t write more. If you don’t get news in 2 hours…”_ Hal wrote.

 _“Fight. You better survive this. We need you home.”_ Bruce wrote back.

Well, he didn’t. He needed the right Hal home, but Hal’s soulmate would appreciate Bruce doing this for him. 

Hal stopped answering. He was probably having surgery now. Bruce rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He wished for Hal to be alright. His Hal and the one he had just been writing to. He wished some other Bruce was taking care of his world’s Hal as he was taking care of this injured Hal. 

So much for ever going back to sleep. He went to the Watchtower instead. Told Diana, who was on monitor duty, what was going on, and stayed there, shirtless in his quarters, waiting for news from Hal. 

Diana had offered him a sorry smile and a tap on the shoulder that may have broken his collarbone or not when he had told her. It would probably bruise. Not that Bruce cared much about his shoulder at the moment. 

Hal didn’t write a word for two hours and a half following his last message. When the two hours mark had come close, Diana had knocked at Bruce’s door and sat next to him on the bed. 

She hadn’t offered her condoleances or something so unuseful. She had started sharing some memories of Hal and after a while, Bruce had contributed too, still looking at his skin every few minutes, expecting for a miracle that wasn’t coming. 

He just couldn’t resign himself to have lost some stranger who was another League’s Hal Jordan. Diana didn’t say anything about Bruce’s obvious denial but after a while, Bruce was ready to put his shirt back on and admit that the injured Hal must have died. 

_“Wait !”_ Diana said, pointing at his arm. 

He was quite certain the _“A”_ she was pointing at had not been here before. Other letters formed after it. 

_“Alive”_ Bruce read aloud. 

_“Come home”_ he wrote, and this time, the shaky handwriting wasn’t Hal’s.

 _“ASAP.”_ Hal responded, and just then, the words on Bruce’s skin disappeared.

For a second, he was afraid that this Hal had died despite his treatment. He threw a panicked look at Diana.

“He may have gotten home.” she said. “Maybe we’re getting our Hal back ?” she said, hopeful, before leaving Bruce’s quarters to continue her shift. 

Everyone missed having Hal in the Watchtower. He was quite popular among the League. Good humored, fearless and charming. What a mix.

Bruce hoped he would be back before another Hal managed to die on his watch. Well, at least he didn’t get this one injured. Even if it could be argued that the Hal with tattoos had been too confident and that it didn’t have anything to do with Bruce. 

Anyway, he’d like it if any version of Hal didn’t throw themself into danger so easily. 

He wondered if there would be another Hal’s version soon. If it was completely hazardous or if there was a logic somewhere. How did he get that magic pen ? He looked around, only to notice its disappearance. 

He would have to look into that, he thought, before turning the lights off. He would sleep in the Watchtower this time. 

In his sleep, Bruce dreamed of hands holding his too tight and of relieved deep brown eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspired by [I Just Want A Soulmate Who Doesn't Hate Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912469). 
> 
> Next chapter will be inspired by [I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24326470).


	8. I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In “I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul”, people get prophecies delivered to them about their soulmates. Hal’s prophecy, which is about Bruce, is quite dark and worrying him. It's also about a guy, and Hal doesn't share this information with his family.  
> Bruce had never had his prophecy delivered. One night, they realize that Bruce could be Hal’s soulmate and they start a relationship. Bruce never gets his prophecy delivered for confirmation. 
> 
> This is some time later.

Hal had just woken up and taken a few adventurous steps in the kitchen when he heard Bruce’s voice and spun around. 

“I thought you were nearly dressed ? And what are we doing here ? I didn’t remember - haven’t you sold your old flat when you moved in, anyway ?” Bruce said, massaging his temples.

Hal blinked at him. 

“Wh- what ? Oh, another Bruce, right ? We’re in my flat ? Like, MY place, not another Hal ?” he said, looking all around him.

Everything seemed into place. It did feel like home. Was he ? Home ? Was it possible ? What if -

“Interdimensional travel ?” Bruce asked, interrupting his thoughts.

He didn’t sound surprised, just resigned. 

“Familiar with the concept ?” Hal wondered aloud. 

“Not just the concept. It has been a while, but I’ve changed places before. And we’ve had some visitors back home.” 

“So, we could be at my place, right now ? We could be home ? For me, I mean ?”

“Well, it may be it. Hal moved in with me and supposedly sold his flat quite some time ago.” 

“I - let me make some calls, okay ? ” Hal said. 

His hands were trembling just a bit as he dialed his best friend’s number. 

“Hey, Barry ? It’s Hal. Er, yeah, the real one. Looks like it, anyway. I am back, Bar.” Hal said, and he was laughing then, but it didn’t last long.

Of course he was relieved to be back, it seemed easier to breathe. But what about the man at his side ? What about the real Bruce ? The one from here ? 

“You’ve met travellers when I wasn’t there, right ? Yes, I have one with me. No, not a Hal. A Bruce. Bruce isn’t there, is he ?” Hal asked. “Okay. We’ll be there.” 

“Watchtower ?” Bruce asked, and Hal nodded.

“I am just taking a shower first. Er, you can too. I mean, you can go first if you want to take a shower and I’ll go after.” Hal said, babbling.

“I’ve already taken one.” Bruce said, shaking his head and Hal nodded before going to the bathroom.

Less than two hours later, they were at the Watchtower. 

“You’ve said you had been transported into other dimensions before. How did you manage to go back home ? Please tell me you weren’t just lucky.” Hal asked as they sat in the conference room.

“I wasn’t.” Bruce said. 

“Really ?” Hal said.

And it was back. The hope that had been gone since he had last seen the Bruce from his world. Hal could hear it in his own voice.

Maybe things would be alright, in the end. Hal wanted to believe that. 

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Bruce, you’re ready ?” some Hal called before entering the bedroom Bruce hadn’t even been in a few seconds ago. 

He had been sitting at the desk in his bedroom when his surroundings had changed abruptly.The changes weren’t that many, but it wasn’t subtle enough for Bruce to miss it. 

Bruce made a non-commital noise, looking at his reflection in the full-length mirror. Well, he wasn’t wearing a wedding suit, so he didn’t have to crush this Hal’s hopes about getting married. One time was enough. 

“Looking as dashing as ever.” Hal said softly, as he went in the room and got closer to Bruce. 

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Bruce said, checking Hal out pointingly. 

He wasn’t wrong. God forbid he’d ever told Hal for real, but the man did look good in most shades of green, and forest green wasn’t an exception. 

Hal shook his head, laughing, and grabbed Bruce’s wrist to make him turn fully toward him before he started adjusting Bruce’s collar. Which hadn’t been in need of any adjusting, mind you. 

“Here. I think we’re good.” Hal said, kissing Bruce briefly. 

Bruce smiled at him a bit forcefully - being casually kissed by Hal was very, very strange - and looked around the room. it was similar to his own bedroom in the manor, but it was _their_ room, visibly. 

There was a book on one of the nightstands, that obviously belonged to Hal. _Wings on My Sleeve_ reads the title. An origami bookmark that looked suspiciously like a bat stuck out of the book. 

There were several issues of the _Progress in Aerospace Science_ and the _Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics_ on the desk. One of them was held open by a highlighter. The article it was opened on had some parts highlighted in neon yellow and handwritten comments on it. 

“Hey, it will be fine. You’re used to tougher crowds, I am sure she will like you.” Hal said, apparently having noticed his lack of focus.

“Hal, can you sit down for a minute ? There’s something I’d like to talk about with you before we go.” Bruce said quickly, before he changed his mind about this new approach. 

“You’re having cold feet ?” Hal asked, sitting next to Bruce. “Look, if it’s too much, you don’t have to go with me. I just thought that - it would be nice to have you with me.” he said softly.

“That’s not - please listen without interrupting, it won’t be long. I think I’ve swapped dimensions with your husband ? fiancé ? whoever you think I am. My Hal Jordan and I have been jumping dimensions involuntarily recently. I know it’s difficult to believe, but can you trust me about this ?”

Hal looked straight at Bruce. 

“I do believe you. We had some dimension travellers before. And you don’t act like the Bruce I am used to.” Hal admitted. “It’s probably going to be awkward, but can you do something for my Bruce and I ?” he said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“Ask away.” Bruce said.

He had the feeling he was going to regret it somehow, but having Hal working with him instead of against him would be an asset in the end. 

“We had to cancel last minute last time because of a League emergency and I don’t want my Mom to think that I don’t want her to meet Bruce or that Bruce doesn’t want to meet her. We’re supposed to go eat lunch with her and my brothers now. Do you think you can play the part ?”

Bruce took a few seconds to think about Hal’s request. It could have been worse. Bruce was used to charm people for his benefit, he could do that for that other Bruce’s. 

“You better help me go home afterwards.” he said nevertheless, because he wasn’t that thrilled with the idea either. 

“Sure. I want my partner back. And for your information, we’re not married.” Hal said. “Yet.” he added with a small smile.

“Am I to understand you’re going to propose soon ?” Bruce asked. 

Hal nodded briefly. 

“We have a space mission together scheduled soon in this lovely region. Purple-ish mountains at sunset and a multitude of stars. Inaccessible by foot and hopefully private enough to propose in peace.” he said.

“It sounds impressive. Congratulations.” Bruce said quietly. 

“Thanks. We should really go now if we don’t want to be late.” Hal insisted.

“I can’t wait to be there.” Bruce said, following him out.

The trip had been uneventful. Six hours and a plane later, in a rental car, Bruce had asked why they hadn’t stayed at Hal’s place in Coast City since their trip would have been significantly shorter from there. 

Hal had raised an eyebrow at him but hadn’t looked away from the road. Bruce hadn’t even fought with him to drive. 

“I live with Bruce.” Hal had said. “I am not saying it was an easy decision, but I would have never asked Bruce to leave Gotham. He didn’t ask for me to leave Coast City. But we already have a semi-long distance relationship due to the space thing, I didn't want to make it a full long distance relationship. So, I haven’t had a flat in Coast City for a few years.” Hal explained. 

“Your lantern is at the Manor ?” Bruce asked him. 

Hal laughed. “Bruces.” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly.

Facing Bruce’s silence, he elaborated. 

“Yeah. When I brought it, Bruce spent the next forty-eight hours ignoring me to study it. I have never been so jealous before.” Hal said. “So, ready to meet my mother ? We only have one more half-hour to go.” he said, hands tightening a bit on the wheel.

It didn’t escape Bruce’s notice. 

“Hal, it’s going to be fine.” Bruce said curtly.

“My Mom is not your average Gotham politician, okay ? Try to leave a good impression. I don’t want you to be Brucie Wayne there. I want you to be my partner, the guy who didn’t even have to ask for me to decide to move to the other side of the country. Well, I want you to pretend to be him, anyway, because let’s be honest, you’re not the guy I fell in love with.” Hal said.

“Nice to hear that.” Bruce said and he resisted the urge to cross his arms on his chest like a petulant child. 

“I am sure you’re a good guy. You’re just not my good guy. And I don’t want you to fuck this up for my Bruce.”

“You did ask for my help. And look, it could be worse. Your mother could be meeting the kids.”

Hal stared at him.

“I have still to tell her how many kids Bruce has. I am not quite certain which ones he just adopted and which are only crashing there so often you can’t make a difference.” he said. 

“You like them.” Bruce said. 

“Well, they’re great kids.” Hal said, smiling.

It warmed Bruce’s insides. His kids had been called many things before, including terrifying, somewhat brilliant and socially inept, but pure appreciation was rarely the reaction they triggered. 

“And they like me.” Hal bragged. “Anyway, we’ve reached our destination. Ready for the performance ? Just so you know, neither my Mom nor my brothers are aware of the superheroing thing. I am just a very busy test pilot, alright ?” Hal said, parking the car in front of a quaint little house. 

Hal pushed open the picket gate, gesturing for Bruce to come in before him. They walked side by side, Hal’s hand on Bruce’s elbow, on the stone alley leading to the house.

“Try to play nice with the kids.” Hal barely had the time to warn before a little girl in red overalls climbed down the stairs in front of the front door clumsily to throw herself at Hal’s legs.

Hal picked her up. 

“Uncle Hal !” the excited kid said happily, putting two sloppy kisses on each of Hal’s cheeks. 

Hal laughed, adjusting the kid’s weight on his hip, holding her with one arm and taking Bruce’s hand in his free hand. 

“I’ve missed you, kiddo. Agnes, this is Bruce.”

“Enchantée.” the girl said, extending her hand.

“Likewise, young lady.” Bruce said, kissing the presented hand.

It made the little girl giggle. They climbed up the stairs to join the rest of the family. Two people were watching them from the door. One of them was a man who looked like Hal but had blue eyes and a shorter, bulkier stature. The other was an older woman wearing an apron.

Hal took a step closer to Bruce just as they were about to reach the door. The raging protectiveness would have made Bruce raise an eyebrow if he wasn’t a good actor. 

“You must be Bruce ?” the older woman asked with a hesitant smile as Hal put his niece down.

A lesser observer wouldn’t have noticed, but the smile was just a bit too tight. This woman had already formed an opinion on him, and it wasn’t a good one.  
Bruce smiled in a measured way as he felt Hal’s hand tense on his hip. He had noticed too, apparently. 

“That would be right, Mrs Jordan. I am delighted to meet you, Hal loves talking about his family. You must be Jim ? Or Jack, maybe ?” Bruce asked politely to the younger man next to her. 

“Jim Jordan. Agnes’ father.” Jim said, and he sounded much more hostile than his mother.

He didn’t take the hand Bruce extended to him and Hal threw him a dark glare.

“Jim, a word ?” he said, and he grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him after him before even getting an answer. 

Good, Bruce would have to spend the meal charming people who hated his guts. He was used to it but it didn’t mean he wanted to spend his free time doing it.

“I am afraid the boys are going to fight again. Boys. Please, do come in. Oh, and you can call me Jessica.” Hal’s mother said as he thanked her. 

She led him through a corridor. In the first room on the right, shouting could be heard. Obviously the room where Hal must have dragged him. 

“...not your life !” Bruce heard as they passed it and Hal’s mother hurried up, obviously embarrassed by her sons’ childish behavior but not willing to intervene.

“They’ve always been like cats and dogs, those two.” she sighed just before introducing Bruce into the living-room. 

Two children were playing with a train under a man’s supervision on the carpet, the girl in red that had jumped into Hal’s arms earlier and a boy about her age. 

“And now the train turns left -” the little boy was saying.

“Right, Danny. The train turns right if it goes in that direction.” the man explained, ruffling his hair. 

The boy frowned and tried to flatten his hair.

“Where’s Uncle Hal ?” Agnes asked, the first to notice the two people who had just entered the room.

“Catching up with your Dad, no doubt.” the man said, looking up and sounding exasperated.

He got up and went to greet Bruce, more amicably than any of the other family members. Bruce wondered if it was because he was a good enough politician to fake amiability or if he was withholding his judgement for now. 

Mrs Jordan took her leave, mentioning something about the kitchen. 

Jack didn’t look like Hal as much as Jim did, but a few of his expressions felt familiar. He was of a smaller frame than Hal and Jim, and consequently, than Bruce, but his handshake was firm and he didn’t hesitate to meet Bruce’s gaze. 

“I am Jack, Hal and Jim’s older brother.” he said. “Agnes is Jim’s daughter and Danny is my son. I have two more kids. My daughter is older and staying at her friend’s house but my other son, Marty, is only ten and couldn’t escape like his sister did, so he’s helping his aunt and my Mom in the kitchen. Violet - my wife - is taking a professional call but she should be able to join us soon.” 

“Pleased to meet you. Hal told me you were a DA ?” 

Now was as good a time as any to use the information he kept in Hal’s file. He had always known it could come handy, he just hadn’t realised he would ever use it to make small talk with Hal’s brother. 

Jack nodded and started talking about his job for a bit, and then let Bruce talk about his. Jack’s gaze was sharp and he seemed to focus on everything Bruce was saying. After a few more minutes, when the “adult discussion” had dragged the kids away from them, Jack had lost his easy demeanor. 

“So, how is it to be Bruce Wayne ?” he asked abruptly just as the kids disappeared into the corridor. 

“Not worse than being Jack Jordan, I believe.” Bruce said in an amused tone. 

He perceived the threat in Jack Jordan’s voice, he just didn’t feel like humoring him. 

“According to what I found out about you, you could have anyone. Why Hal ?” Jack said sternly. 

“Well, your brother isn’t anyone, to start with.”

It was an easy answer to make, and one who gives Bruce some more time to think about what he should say. 

“You don’t understand. Hal isn’t like other flyboys. Hal never comes accompanied at family functions. He wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t think you were the One. I’d like to know what your intentions are towards him.”

“They’re honorable, if it is what you’re asking about. And Hal is his own man, I think he knows what he is doing.” 

“I’ve read things about you. All of them weren’t flattering.” 

It explained Mrs Jordan’s rather cold attitude towards him. No doubt her son had shared his views with her. He wondered if it was what Hal and Jim were arguing about. 

“You and I both know that having a public persona means people talk about you and sometimes even lie. In any case, you may have noticed that the rumors had been less numerous lately.” Bruce said nonchalantly. 

Well, he hoped so. Hal hadn’t said if they were dating officially, but Bruce had the feeling they did, and in that case he wouldn’t parade around with supermodels as much. 

“Look, you probably think I am a midget you can crush under your thumb. Maybe you’re right. But if you hurt Hal in any way, be prepared to be hurt in return.” Jack said and the short man looked more intimidating than many villains Bruce knew. 

He was certainly a good DA. And he looked more like Hal than Bruce had suspected at first, when he was so determined. 

“Duly noted. Are Jim and Hal arguing because Jim is worried about my reputation too ?” Bruce asked, even if he was quite certain their grudge wasway older than Hal’s relationship with Bruce.

“I wish.” Jack said, making a face. “I gather that Hal hadn’t told you ?”

“Hadn’t told me what ?” Bruce asked, just as Hal made his entrance in the room, closely followed by his younger brother.

“Enough !” Hal was saying as he went to Bruce.

Apparently they haven’t stopped arguing. Or not long enough to reach this room. 

Hal was trembling with (for now) controlled anger as he took Bruce’s hand in his. Bruce wrapped an arm around him. He made it look casual, but his intention was to ground Hal, who looked quite shaken. Whatever the conversation had been about, it had been a sensitive topic for Hal. 

Jim was frowning and Jack looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. 

“When you brought Charlotte here for the first time, I was happy for you, I congratulated you and tried to make her feel at ease.” Hal seethed but he had relaxed a bit, leaning in Bruce’s embrace.

“Charlotte is my soulmate, it has nothing to do -” his younger brother started saying. 

“Call him my booty call once again and this is going to turn physical.” Hal snarled. 

Bruce had no doubt the two brothers had come to hands often when they were younger. 

“Bruce is the man I love and probably my soulmate.” Hal stated firmly. 

“Probably ?” Jim said, rolling his eyes. 

“Jim.” Jack said but Hal stop him from saying anything more by a simple hand gesture. 

“Our prophecies are a bit vague. Anyway, I love Bruce and he loves me. He’s family and I ask for you to treat him as such.” Hal said.

“Your soulmate prophecy is about a woman.” Jim said matter-of-factly.

Hal shook his head and Bruce had the feeling than a man with less control on his body would have crossed his arms on his chest. 

“But you’ve always said -”

“I know what I said. It wasn’t true. I was a ten year old boy raised in a conservative household and I freaked out. It seemed easier to say it was a girl, back then. I didn’t want to bet on Dad’s understanding. Good thing I didn’t bet on yours either.” Hal said.

“Hal…” Jack sighed this time. 

“No ! That’s enough. I am gay, okay ? I like men. I came out to you, remember ? It isn’t just a phase or whatever you thought it was. I am dating a man, I am sleeping with a man, I am in a steady loving relationship with one.” 

“Who maybe isn’t your soulmate ?” Jim snortled. 

Hal rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t you understand ? I don’t care. I don’t care about my damn prophecy or Bruce’s because those are only words. What I have with Bruce is much more. It’s waking up in the morning next to someone you respect and love, it’s sharing your world with someone you trust.” Hal said. “It’s knowing someone has your back and you have theirs.”

Before Jim could reply, the little boy with Jack’s pale eyes came back into the room.

“Grandma said dinner is ready.” he said, all excited, and Jack went upstairs to fetch his wife. 

The rest of them followed the boy silently to the living-room. Mrs Jordan sighed when she saw their long faces but coaxed them into seating quickly. 

Bruce got to know Hal’s sisters-in-law that he hadn’t met yet. Violet was a lovely woman with a lot of sense and ambition. She was a public defender Jack had met at work. They kept squabbling. 

“Sorry, that’s what happens when a district attorney marries his public defender soulmate.” Violet half-apologized once, smiling at her husband. 

Charlotte, Jim’s wife, was more subdued and reserved in her opinions. She was her husband’s PA and tended to agree with Jim on most subjects. 

Jim and Hal were stubbornly not talking to each other. Bruce tried to engage the conversation with Hal’s younger brother once or twice but gave up when he realized it was a lost cause. 

So he talked with the bubbly Agnes, sitting on a cushion on the chair to his right. He learnt she liked dolphins, and she was the best at skipping at school. Her skipping rope was purple with pink stars on the handles. And there were stars plastered on the ceiling of her bedroom back at home. She also said she wanted to be an astronaut to see the stars better and because space was cool. 

“That it is.” Hal had said softly and Bruce had squeezed his hand under the table. They had shared a look and smiled.

It had owed them a dark glance from Jim. Right after, Charlotte had told Agnes that she should stop talking so much and go play with her toys so Hal’s friend could have adults’ conversations but Bruce assured her it wasn’t a bother. 

Hal had shaken his head ever so slightly, signaling it wasn’t the issue and both Jim and Charlotte had kept their lips tight. In any case, Hal’s niece had already left the table to look for some toy or another. Danny followed not long after but Marty stayed at the table, next to his mother. “I am not a baby.” he had told her when she had asked if he wanted to go with his brother and cousin.

The conversations continued, mostly led by Violet and Bruce until the dessert. Afterwards, Bruce proposed his help to Mrs Jordan as Hal and the other adults were kidnapped by the children to play hide and seek in the garden. 

Charlotte and Jack offered their help too but Jessica shooed them away from the kitchen once the living-room’s table had been cleaned, saying Bruce and her would be fine. 

So here Bruce was, waiting for Jessica Jordan’s sentence as he helped filling the dishwasher.

“You know, when Hal told me he was dating Bruce Wayne and my other sons told me who you were, I wasn’t too thrilled.” the woman said. 

So Bruce had been right, unsurprisingly. Her initial polite coldness was due to rumors. 

“I do understand your feelings.” he said as he put the forks in the dishwasher’s cutlery rack. 

“You do, now ? Well, Hal told us you had kids. Hal is a good son, all of my boys are but Hal is the only one who insists on making choices that get him hurt.” she said as she put the food that hadn’t been eaten in plastic boxes.

Bruce refrained from asking if she considered Hal being gay a choice. He doubted it would end well. 

“Um.” he said instead, because most of the time it was enough to keep people going without committing to anything.

Jessica put the little plastic boxes in the fridge as Bruce took care of the dirty plates. 

“My son is brave beyond measure, and since he’s a pilot, that’s what people remember about him : the charm, the recklessness, the freedom. They forgot too easily that Hal’s greatest quality and default is that he has a good heart. He would save galaxies in exchange for his life if given the chance.”

Bruce was glad he had learned to stay focused in critical situations because most people would have dropped the plate he was still holding.

He should tell Hal about this. It may have been a coincidence, but maybe Jessica knew more about Hal’s occupation that she let on. 

“Stay assured I know the valor of your son.” Bruce managed to say. 

It sounded more serious to his ears than he had intended it to be. It wasn’t even about this Hal, he was thinking about the Hal from his world as he had said it. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t. Hal doesn’t know it himself, most of the time.” the woman sighed, sponging the table clean. 

“That’s the tragedy of great men.” Bruce said, putting the last plate in the dishwasher before closing it and washing his hands. 

Jessica wiped the kitchen’s table with a tea towel. 

“I am glad that you believe in him. Hal looks happy with you. Hal being - Hal not liking women hadn’t been easy to take in stride, when he told us, but I can try to get my head around it if it makes him happy and I do believe that my husband would have. He loved Hal very much.” she said.

Bruce nodded. Sure, Hal’s family was far from perfect, but his mother, even if she didn’t understand and had still much to learn, tried to support him and it was something.

“I am not perfect, Mrs Jordan, but I do love Hal and I want his happiness too.” Bruce said quietly.

Love was a big world, but he did want his teammate to be happy. 

He tried to keep at bay the image of how Hal - the real one - looked in this alley just before he kissed him, only to disappear. It had been parasitizing his thoughts recently.

Bruce dried his hands and refrained from shaking his head to cleanse his mind. Jessica went closer to him. Hal had mostly taken from his father, according to the family pictures on the walls, but there was a bit of his mother in his face. Jessica took his hands in her and held onto them. 

“Your kids… I was thinking… Maybe you could bring them with you next time ? Those kids deserve a Grandma.” she said.

An offering, some kind of acceptance for Hal. Bruce nodded, strangely moved. 

“Hal and I will talk about it.” he promised, just as Hal pushed the door of the kitchen open.

“Everything’s fine, here ? I’d like to show the house to Bruce.” he said, glancing from one to the other. 

Hal’s mother went to her son and hugged him lightly before leaving the room. Hal took Bruce’s arm and led him to a room. A bedroom, maybe Hal’s old one. The only personal touch was the miniatures aircrafts hanging from the ceiling thanks to transparent pieces of string. Definitely Hal’s old bedroom.

Hal closed the door behind them. 

“You did great with my Mom. Thank you.” he told Bruce. “She didn’t give you the shovel talk, did she ?” 

“No.” Bruce said, shaking his head.

“Jack did, right ?” Hal said, probably feeling Bruce was keeping something from him.

Bruce shrugged. 

“How does it feel, being threatened by a 5’6’’ tall functionary with less than a third of your muscular mass ? “

“Your brother has guts, you have to grant him that.” 

Hal smiled softly. Bruce could tell that he was pleased that Jack had his back. On this at least, because Jack hadn’t been of much help during Jim and Hal’s fight.  
Did the Hal from Bruce’s world have the same kind of relationship with his brothers ? Bruce wasn’t certain. He tried to forget about his world’s Hal for a bit to focus on this one. 

“Yeah, but Jack doesn’t have my charm.” the man was saying. 

“Really ?” Bruce said, shaking his head in face of Hal’s childishness.

"What ? You're doubting my charm ? How long before you kiss me back ? Five seconds ?"

And just like that, he had cupped Bruce's face into his hands and kissed him, slow and intense, slotting himself between Bruce's legs. Two seconds later, Bruce had snaked a hand around Hal's neck impulsively and his other hand had an iron grip on Hal's shirt. 

Barely half a second later, that arrogant Hal was pinned against the wall, Bruce kissing him thoughtfully, asserting his dominance. Hal wasn't opposing any resistance, nothing remained of the usual fighting. Bruce was about to step back from that unknown Hal when someone cleared his throat. 

They both turned toward the noise, lighting fast. 

“I am home, darling.” another man looking a lot like Bruce claimed.

He had an eyebrow raised and his arms crossed but his tone was quite amused. Next to him was a Hal, one that Bruce was quite certain was his own, gaping at them.

“You’re back.” the Hal Bruce had been pretending to be the boyfriend of said, relief coloring his voice as he stepped forward to close the distance between him and his boyfriend a bit.

Bruce followed him a bit reluctantly. His Hal was still looking at him wide-eyed as the two other men hugged.

“You - you…” he started saying, just before Bruce felt the tell-tale signs of an imminent disappearance, and Bruce wasn’t too upset about that, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like this chapter but it be like that sometimes. I am aware it's also quite long considering my other chapters.  
> It was inspired by [I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24326470)  
> Next chapter will be inspired by [How to talk to guys at housewarming parties](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865121/chapters/57364210)


	9. How to talk to guys at housewarming parties Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "How to talk to guys at housewarming parties", Bruce and Hal fall into bed together as they are dealing with unrequited love for their respective soulmates (namely Clark and Barry). That leads them to start a relationship and fall in love with each other along the way.

Hal blinked twice before looking around him. Yet a change of scenery. The place looked like his flat and apparently he wasn’t alone. 

The Bruce with him was looking around him too, so he mustn’t have expected to be there. 

Their eyes met, and as strange as it was, it was enough for Hal to recognize the Bruce he knew. And it looked like Bruce knew it was him too. 

Good, they had some stuff to sort out. After the initial relief - Bruce hadn’t disappeared on him again -, anger dominated. Anger and confusion and something else Hal really didn't want to dig into. But why did Bruce kiss that other Hal ? 

“What the fuck, Bruce ?” he said, looking at him. 

Bruce made a vague gesture to signify Hal’s concerns weren’t affecting him in the slightest but didn't even bother to fake innocence. He knew what Hal was asking about.

“Get over it.” he said, shrugging. 

“You were kissing my carbon copy !” Hal complained loudly. 

“You’re not exactly the same. And actually, I think he’s a bit older than you.” Bruce said. 

“Great, he’s older than me ! I don’t care ! Why were you kissing him, for fuck’s sake ?” Hal ended up yelling. 

He was distraught, he didn't get what it seemed to matter so much but he wanted to know.

“Kissing doesn’t always have a meaning. I kissed you, in that narrow street. And you weren’t so bothered. Not to mention that Hal initiated the kissing, not I.” 

Hal shook his head, trying to calm himself.

“Yeah, thank you, we’ve seen the whole scene !”

Maybe he should try meditation, this wasn't working. 

“You’ve seen the whole scene ? Well, it kind of makes sense, then.” Bruce muttered under his breath. 

His own confusion made Hal’s anger regress. 

“What ?”

“What were the chances for you and Bruce from that universe to reappear just at this moment ? Now, don’t you think Hal catching sight of you both and kissing me to get a reaction from Bruce much more likely ? I am not sure why yet, but Hal’s move was deliberate.” 

Hal rolled his eyes. Who cared ?

“Look, I am not interested in whatever couple problems those two may have. Why did you let him kiss you, seriously ?”

“Why did you let me kiss you, seriously ?” Bruce parroted, an eyebrow raised. "In that street." 

Hal didn't need the precision, he didn't make a habit out of kissing Bruce. Bruces. Whatever. His reaction had been instinctive then. 

“It was not the same, back there. I - that was because - ah, just let’s forget about it. Do you think there’s any chance we have come back home ?” Hal asked, looking around him again.

It could be his flat, couldn’t it ? It looked a lot like it was. Were they home ? He wanted to be home, so he could ask Bruce to get out and… he wasn't sure what he would do but arguing with Bruce wasn't on the list.

“Any occasion you could have been wearing an expensive suit for ?”

Hal looked down to constate the same thing Bruce had. Paying more attention to Bruce’s clothes, he noticed the man was wearing a suit too. 

Hal thought for a second but shook his head. 

“It’s not my place so I can’t tell,”, Bruce commented. “But does it feel different to you ?”

“Not so much but there’s something that just doesn’t feel right.” Hal admitted reluctantly. 

He would have prefered for it to feel more natural. Bruce rummaged through the papers on the coffee table. 

Hal was going to protest the intrusion in his private life when Bruce handed him an invitation that had been sitting on top of the pile.

“ _Iris and Barry invite you to their wedding_ ” Hal read aloud. “So yeah, not home yet. I am starting to miss it.” he said.

Barry had never breathed a word about getting married and if he was seeing an Iris, he had kept him from Hal.

Bruce took a step closer to Hal, who was looking at him warily. 

“I meant it. We’ll find a way to go back and to stay there.” Bruce told Hal firmly. 

“About that… Bruce and I may have found a way. Well, we thought so when we managed to jump into Bruce’s dimension. It wasn’t sheer luck. But us disappearing somewhere else right after isn’t good news.” Hal explained.

“What do you mean ?” Bruce asked. 

Before Hal could reply, someone knocked. Hal went to open the door despite Bruce asking him not to. Oliver faced him, grinning.

“Ready ? You finished writing that speech ?”

“Ah - uh.”

Of course. He hadn't checked the date but if Bruce and him were already dressed, today was probably Barry's wedding day.

“Don’t worry too much about it, I am sure you’ll make a great best man. Is Bruce decent ?” Oliver asked. 

Why wouldn’t he be ? Hal thought for a second before realizing they were once again supposed to be a couple and Oliver was mocking them.

“Yes, he is.” he said sighing.

“So, can I come in or am I doomed to stay on the doormat ?” 

“Oh. Of course, sorry. Make yourself at home.” Hal said, letting his friend in. 

“Bruce, my friend !” Oliver cried out, hugging Bruce with enthusiasm. 

Bruce rolled his eyes and pushed him away from him, wrinkling his nose.

“Oliver Queen. What a pleasure.”

“You know you have to work on your lying skills ? Anyway, we should get going if we don’t want to be late.” Oliver said, grinning.

“Dinah isn’t with you ?” Hal asked. 

He had been accustomed to see them as a duo lately. 

“No, Iris requested her help. She’s one of the bridesmaids, you remember ? You should have seen her in that dress -” Oliver said. 

Hal decided it was better to stop him then.

“Sure, didn’t you say we should go ?”

“Yes, I promised Barry that his best man would be there on time. Of course, you have the rings ?” Ollie asked.

Hal shared a glance with Bruce who had stayed silent for most of the conversation. 

“Second drawer of the desk. There’s a false bottom. You can check ? I need to have a word with Bruce.” Hal said casually.

He had no idea if the rings were there but he couldn’t think of another place. He took Bruce’s hand after a second of hesitation and dragged him to his bedroom.

“Be quick, we don’t have much time !” Oliver cried from the living-room. 

Hal rolled his eyes and closed the door shut behind Bruce.

“We can’t tell them we’re not their friends. I've already ruined a wedding, I am not doing it again.” Hal stayed stubbornly. 

He could read Bruce well enough to know it wasn't something he would agree to easily. It was obvious he'd rather look for a way to get them home. 

“So what do you suggest ? We just go along with it ? We pretend to be people we aren’t ?" Bruce asked sternly. 

They did it all the time back home. A break would have been great. There was only so much pretending you could do before you started losing yourself. Hal being so frantic about this was proof enough.

“Exactly ! I am glad we’re in agreement.” Hal said. 

“You were freaking out because I kissed you - well, another you - a few minutes ago but now you’re okay for faking a relationship ?” Bruce said. 

He doubted Hal could do it. But then he remembered the "date" they've been on. Hal was great at pretending, he remembered. If it made him uncomfortable, Bruce didn't show it. 

“I am not ruining Barry’s wedding.” Hal said, turning to the door. 

He wouldn't be moved, then. And Bruce was tired of fighting.

“Better our relationship than Barry’s wedding, right ?” Bruce muttered under his breath as Hal reached for the door's handle.

“I didn’t catch that.” Hal said, turning back and meeting Bruce's eyes.

“That’s for the best. Let’s do it then. But I am not helping you with your best man’s speech.” 

“I wouldn’t have dreamed of it. But thank you for accepting to do this.” Hal said, smiling genuinely at him. 

Maybe he was right about this, Bruce thought. Maybe they could just take a break and spend some time with "their" friends.

Everything had gone as well as you could expect. The ceremony had been a tad too long, the bride's dress had been deemed absolutely stunning, the couple declared lovely. A flower girl had tripped on a bridesmaid's dress, the second one had thrown petals a bit too enthusiastically, on the guests as much as on the alley. 

After the ceremony, many had gone home but some of the guests had relocated into a private park with the happy couple. And then Hal had improvised a speech and everybody had laughed and teared up in the right places. Hal had a way with audiences.

“... And now, here he is, with an amazing woman at his side. Congratulations, Barry, Iris. You form a beautiful couple. I wish you the best.” Hal had ended his speech, lifting his champagne flute.

Afterwards, he had gone back to Bruce.

"Beautiful speech." Bruce had commented, smiling just a bit. 

They had appearances to maintain. 

"A bit difficult to keep some… parts of our lives out of it but I meant every word. Well, not about the bride because I don't know her but she seems really nice." Hal said quietly. 

Bruce could tell he was checking their surroundings as he did so but Bruce had been careful to stay away from the crowd so they could discuss at length some subjects the bride's family weren't privy to.

"Let's mingle a bit with the others." Hal said, taking Bruce's hand in his without a second thought and dragging him along.

They spent some time eating cake, drinking and chatting with friends and the bride's family. 

At some point they had ended up talking with only Dinah and Oliver. They had stirred away from the main group and Dinah had excused herself to take a call. 

Hal had said something about his brother getting married too and Bruce had interrupted him. 

"Jordan." he had said sharply. 

A simple warning in case the brother of the Hal from this world was already married and Oliver was aware of it. 

However, Hal's brother's marital status wasn't what retained Oliver's attention. 

“He just can't stop calling you by your surname, can he ? Does he call you Jordan in bed ? I knew you had a thing for raw authority. That bossy nurse, and then Carol and Bruce...”

Hal coughed and Bruce patted his back, glaring daggers at Oliver.

"Captain Jordan, actually."

Hal coughed some more, his face becoming an alarming shade of red. 

They spent some time laughing about it and then Oliver went looking after Dinah.

"Seriously ? Was it necessary ?" Hal asked a bit later. 

"Are you more partial to Lantern ?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow just before Barry found them. 

Bruce congratulated him and complimented the ceremony before excusing himself to let the best friends talk. 

And Barry and Hal did, laughing occasionally. However, Barry noticed Hal's distraction.

"Has something happened with Bruce ?" he asked after some time. 

“Everything doesn’t revolve around Bruce.” Hal had snapped. 

“In your world, it kind of does.” Barry said softly.

Hal refrained to say they weren’t in his damn world. 

"We're fine. Sometimes it's just hard to figure out what I feel around him." Hal said honestly. 

He was in need of a friend. So if he couldn't get the real deal, maybe he could try some copy.

"You remember that time you called me in the middle of the night ? You've been dating - seeing would be more accurate - Bruce for a few months and you were freaking out ? At first I thought you were worried about your feelings but it turned out you weren't. You were worried he wouldn't feel the same."

Hal's eyes widened at that. Maybe the charade had gone for too long. 

"Barry…"

"You know what you feel, Hal. I know communication is something you still have to work on together, but you should talk to Bruce about your insecurities. You'll know how he feels then. And I am quite sure nothing changed between you two."

Right. Nothing changed between the two of them. Only circumstances. 

"Thanks, Barry." Hal said, smiling. 

"No need to thank me. I am going to dance with my wife." Barry said with pride. "You should invite your partner." 

Hal nodded, thinking he should use the opportunity to explain to Bruce more about dimension jumping. 

However he couldn't find him so he invited one of the bridesmaids who wasn't dancing. One of Iris' colleagues and friends, absolutely charming. She had a deep laugh, dry wit and shining dark eyes. She had a great boyfriend but he was currently reporting some scandal in Europe. They laughed and danced for a bit but then Jade went to talk to some of her friends and Hal found himself alone but not for long. 

A pretty girl with blond hair done in a complicated bun presented herself - Penny Cadwell, bridesmaid and one of the bride's cousins - and took Hal's arm with authority.

Hal shrugged and accepted to dance with her. But then she started being too flirty to Hal's taste and he played the "I have a boyfriend" card. It didn't work. It was starting to get really uncomfortable and Hal started looking around for help. In a second he met Bruce's eyes just at the moment the woman got handsy and he had to push back her hands from his body and tell her off more sternly.

She was about to protest when someone next to her cleared their throat. She and Hal turned toward the source. 

“Keep. Your. Hands. Off. My. Boyfriend.” Bruce said in a low tone, detaching each word with murderous intent. 

The young woman only nodded tersely before fleeing from them.

“Wow, that was hot.” Oliver, who had gone to Hal’s rescue too but arrived two seconds after Bruce, half-whispered.

Hal felt himself redden. He hadn't expected for Bruce or anyone else to step in but he hadn't been certain what to do. 

“Thanks, babe.” he said to Bruce, and it was Bruce’s turn to look slightly uncomfortable. 

He pinched Hal’s side discreetly. Hal buried his face against Bruce’s shoulder to hide his laughter but Bruce could feel the vibrations in his whole body. 

“Go away, Queen.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I got it, you don’t share." Ollie had said, laughing, before going back to Dinah. 

"You're okay ?" Bruce had asked Hal, a few seconds later, Hal still leaning against him. 

"Sorry. She wasn't that bad, I think I overreacted. Maybe -" Hal said, looking at his feet. 

"Were you okay with her saying the things she said or touching you the way she did ? Did she even asked if it was okay ?" Bruce asked. 

Hal had took a step away from me and was starting to miss his warmth.

"Not really and no, but -" 

"Hal, if it had happened to anyone else here, would you have think it was okay ?"

Hal made a disgusted face. 

"Of course not." 

"Because it wasn't. You had every right to make a scene and to make her feel bad about herself. You don't have to be polite with anyone who acts predatory or makes you feel uncomfortable."

Rehearsed speech, Hal thought. The kids. Bruce had some of those who attended galas and other social functions and may have spoken to them about this.

"Can we stop talking about this ? I believe you owe me a dance." he said. 

Bruce looked like he wanted to say something more but let Hal lead him back to the stage.

"Let me take the lead." Hal said more than asked. 

"As if." Bruce said, smiling the way a shark smiled at smaller fishes. 

However Hal didn't feel threatened. He felt good.

"Bruce !" Hal half-laughed, half-complained.

Afterwards, they found themselves outdoors under the trees again. 

“So do you know how to get out of here ?" Bruce asked finally. 

Hal sighed, leaning against the trunk of a big oak.

“I am sorry you get trapped into this but I think you’ll be alright. You’ll probably be home soon.” 

Silence was the only answer for a while. 

“What about you, Jordan ?"

His family name again. Hal made a face. Bruce was probably trying to process two emotions at once or something. 

"It's going to be more complicated."

If it was even possible. Better not to think too much about it. 

"You said you and that other Bruce went back to his world knowingly. Why didn’t you try to stay ?”

“It wouldn't have worked anyway. And you know why I didn't say.” Hal said, thinking back of his conversation with Barry.

“Do I ?”

Bruce looked really puzzled. 

“I couldn’t just let you there, could I ?” Hal said, smiling at him a bit sadly. 

“Hal -”

“I have the feeling Hal’s husband wouldn’t have liked that.” Hal quipped, because right now Bruce wasn't the only one struggling with his emotions. 

“For the last time -”

“Yeah, yeah, it meant nothing. You just kiss people randomly and it never means anything. I got the message.” Hal said quietly. 

“That’s not -” Bruce huffed but Hal cut him off. 

“Then what, Bruce ? You got me quite confused there.” he said, stepping forward just a bit.

“Have you ever thought it could be because I was quite confused myself ?”

There was a slight pause. 

"Are you less confused, now ?"

A longer pause. 

"It shouldn't be what we're discussing now. Tell me what you learn about interdimensional travelling." Bruce deflected.

Hal looked at him silently for a few seconds before starting his explanation.

"Right. It can be accidental or provoked. When it's accidental, it usually stops after a jump. A simple round trip. We don't have explanations for those." 

Bruce bit his lip, thinking. 

"You mean someone is actually making us jump dimensions ?"

"Me, mainly, but probably. Bruce used some tool to bring us back, what he called a dimension finder. You're probably already wondering how to build one but I don't think it's going to be enough. He told me it should cut the cycle of dimension jumps I've been put through and that we shouldn't go through more uncontrolled jumps." Hal told him. 

Obviously it hadn't worked.

"Do you know what may have happened to prevent it ?" Bruce asked, brow furrowed. 

"The thing or person doing this has constructed a very efficient cycle of dimension jumps ? I don't really know. And I don't think you should have been brought into this either. I think they miscalculated or something." Hal said, shrugging. 

Bruce took the time to play with that information in his mind. 

"Does it mean there's a definite number of jumps you have to do before going home ?" Bruce asked. 

"Probably, yes. Usually the last jump means going home. But I went home and jumped dimensions afterwards so I can't really tell." Hal said.

"Is there a way to know how many jumps you still have to go through ?"

Hal couldn't repress a shiver. 

"Not really. It's not very well documented according to the other Bruce."

"Hal." Bruce insisted, a hand on his shoulder.

"A hundred for some, barely ten for others. There's an alien legend about a man who went through four thousands jumps in about twelve years before being able to go home. Kinda like Odysseus. Except when he finally reached home, he had seen so many other worlds he couldn't tell if it was real or not and he - well, the story doesn't end well. But it's only a legend. Nobody could stand doing this for twelve years." Hal said, looking at his feet and dodging Bruce's gaze. 

Bruce stepped closer then, hesitantly raised Hal's chin with his hand.

"Hal, look at me. I won't let you go through this for twelve years. I'll find who is doing that to you and I'll convince them to get you back home and leave you alone." Bruce promised.

"We don't even know where to start looking." Hal told him, grabbing the hand that had lingered on his jaw.

He held it too tight but Bruce didn't say a thing about it. 

"Probably not on Earth. Any alien friend I could go to who may know more about this ?"

Hal shook his head. He had already given it some thought. 

"I don't think so. Ask another Lantern to review my last reports. Maybe I crossed roads with someone powerful enough to do that recently. Maybe check my JL reports too."

Bruce nodded. 

"The League will do that. We'll bring you home."

"Don't be afraid. From what I've been told, occasional travellers like you always find their way home quickly." Hal said, eyes closed.

"Hal." 

Hal just shook his head to make him shut up. 

"Oh and you should know that. The longer we travel, the more we take the appearances and even psychic abilities of the ones we replace. I haven't told you yet to prevent you from freaking out but your hair is greying at the temples. It suits you. And I suppose you thought the situation aged me but I think it's just that the Hal from here has more wrinkles. That's why we started getting other people's soulmarks and the likes on us. But don't worry, we're supposed to get back to normal when we go back home."

Bruce took the time to register that, letting Hal talk.

"I am starting to realize every word I am saying could be a goodbye. One for quite some time, I mean. " Hal said, releasing Bruce's hand. 

Bruce took his wrist then.

"I'll do my best to prevent that. Don't give up hope. Where there's a will there's a way. We both know you have the will."

Hal nodded, more assured.

"Thank you for reminding me. But promise me something." 

"Anything." Bruce said with sincerity.

"Don't kiss other Hals." 

"Only you ?" 

"You got it. Only me." Hal said, smiling. 

They both disappeared a few seconds later, Hal mere seconds before Bruce, their laughs echoing in the empty park. 

************************************************************************************************

"You're okay ?" Hal asked. 

Bruce and him had stumbled suddenly and… found themselves in the Watchtower unexpectedly. 

"Yes. You ?" Bruce asked, reaching for him. 

Hal squeezed his hand. 

"I am good but we were getting ready for Barry and Iris' wedding, right ?"

Just at that moment, Barry had met them in the corridor. 

"Hey Barry, what's wrong ? What happened exactly ? Bruce and I just kind of appear here and you should be ready to get married and…" 

"Uh. You better follow me, we were having a meeting."

"They're back ?" someone asked when they entered the meeting room. 

Barry shook his head. 

"Visitors, apparently. That or I forgot about getting married." Barry sighed. "I am sorry to tell you this but we've been expecting another Hal and another Bruce, you must have jumped dimensions. Hal had said they were going to fix this but I am afraid it didn't work."

Barry frowned at that, visibly worried. 

"I am sorry if your friends are stuck elsewhere but is there a way home for us ?" Hal asked 

"Usually interdimensional visitors don't stay for long, only a few hours." Barry answered. 

Hal frowned and Bruce spoke. It was strange to see the two of them casually touching and supporting each other so naturally. 

"That's not what Hal asked. Will we be sent home after these few hours ?" Bruce asked, his hand on Hal's shoulder.

"Truth is, we hope so but we have no idea. We just assume that." Clark intervened. 

Bruce nodded coldly and Hal covered the hand on his shoulder with his. Bruce seemed to relax at the contact. 

"We're in this together, love. What can go wrong ?" 

"So many things and you know that." Bruce said, crossing his arms. 

Thankfully the only people present there were closed friends but they were the only ones not in fighting gear. 

"Well then I am glad to have you at my side." Hal said seriously before turning toward Clark. 

"Could we have more information ?" he asked. 

The other Leaguers had barely finished their explanations when those Bruce and Hal disappeared, hopefully to go back into their world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is way too long but I can't be bothered to care, honestly.  
> Sorry for the editing, though, I felt especially lazy but I tend to edit my works regularly so I'll do some more at some point. 
> 
> Chapter inspired by [How to talk to guys at housewarming parties](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865121/chapters/57364210).  
> Next chapter will be about [Blood types and other minor inconveniences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25400683).


	10. Blood types and other minor inconveniences Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually don't issue TW for this fic because I consider they are the same that the ones for all the fics I mention in the summary, but I think this is a new one : TW (medical and non-medical) drugs.
> 
> In "Blood types and other minor inconveniences", Oliver Queen finds out that Bruce and Hal are soulmates. Indeed, Hal is injured during one of their missions and needs a blood transfusion quickly but Oliver and Bruce aren't compatible with him and Oliver knows it. However, Bruce insists upon giving his blood to Hal - they're soulmates and as such, they can share blood even if their blood types don't match - and has to fight Oliver (verbally) for it. After that, Bruce and Hal decide to come out to their friends as soulmates (and lovers).  
> This is what happens.

Hal took a deep breath before turning around. He couldn't identify the place properly but it felt strangely homely. 

He was in a living room of some sorts, alone. The place seemed quite big but decorated with taste and full of charm. It communicated with a dining room. 

The table had been set, Hal noticed when he got closer. Twelve place settings. The tableware seemed rather elegant without screaming excessive wealth. 

Hal didn't have the time to explore more as Bruce appeared in the doorframe. He almost jumped. Why should he be surprised ? He had spent the last few days with a Bruce or another. This one looked at Hal with a soft smile but it wasn’t his Bruce. Which meant Hal’s teammate was probably home too. Which was a good thing. Wasn’t it ? 

Hal tried to smile back but Bruce seemed to notice his uncomfort and went closer to him.

"Our guests should be there soon, any regrets ?" he asked. 

He was still smiling but Hal could perceive an underlayer of nervousness in his tone. 

"Should I have some ?" Hal said, trying to relax.

He would have to get used to unfamiliar Bruces and environments, if he was going to jump dimensions continually. 

"No. I am just trying to convince myself that telling our teammates we're soulmates and have been dating for a while would go as smoothly as you assured me it would." Bruce said. 

"They're our friends. Let them have some wine first and it'll be fine.” Hal said, shrugging.

"Very reassuring.” Bruce said, shaking his head. 

Hal kissed his cheek on an impulse just as someone rang.

"Let me answer this. And try to behave." Bruce said before stepping outside of the room to greet their guests. 

Not long after, Barry and Jessica went in, followed by Bruce. 

"Hi, I thought you wouldn't be able to make it." Jessica said, hugging Hal lightly. 

Hal was a bit surprised by the familiarity of the gesture but he didn’t let Jessica see it. He wouldn’t have been so great at pretending if he didn’t have a double identity in the first hand.

"Change of program." he said, smiling at her. "You're here early, aren't you ?" he asked.

Bruce had seemed surprised that they showed up at this time. 

"Well, you arrived before us, it would seem." Jessica laughed as Hal said hi to Barry. 

"Oh yeah. I had a professional discussion with Bruce to finish." Hal said, trying not to blush. 

"By "professional discussion", he meant he wanted to get to Alfred's petits fours first." Bruce said as they all went in the kitchen. 

"I can’t blame him. I wish my cooking was a tenth that good. My mother tried to teach me when I was a kid but Barry clearly is the cook in this relationship.” Jessica said, shrugging. 

So, Barry and Jessica. Hal hadn't seen it before but right then, it didn’t seem that strange. They chatted lightly for a while and all helped in the kitchen until the arrival of new guests. 

Hal was glad to find out he knew all of them - well, their counterparts at least - pretty well. 

A bit later, Jessica found him again and they kept talking. Hal had the feeling they had become quite close friends in that universe - which would make sense if she was Barry’s girlfriend. 

"Are congratulations in order ?" he asked quietly when Jessica refused alcohol for the second time.

Jessica nearly choked on her lemonade and he had to pat her back. 

"Oh God no, I am not pregnant. My psychiatrist thought alcohol may not agree well with my antidepressants." she explained. 

Hal nodded.

"I shouldn’t have assumed. I hope your treatment is working well."

Jessica smiled at him and shrugged. 

"I think it is. And actually, Barry and I started talking about kids." she said. 

She didn’t say more but Hal had the feeling she wouldn’t have said anything if she didn’t want Hal to dig. 

"How did this conversation go ?" he asked politely. 

"We’ve decided we still had time to talk about it. Being a superhero and having kids doesn't seem ideal." Jessica said.

"Some manage it.".

"No offense to anyone in this team but I think our current lives do not provide for the best environments to raise children in."

"Bruce took in children who needed it and I have no doubts he fucked up big as a parent sometimes but he tried to change things for those kids when nobody else had."

Jessica put a calming hand on his arm. 

"This wasn't a personal attack on Bruce. He's a good man and I am sure he tries his best. I just don’t think I can be off-planet so much and raise children on Earth at the same time.” 

“Sorry, I’ve overreacted. If you don’t want children, of course it’s your choice and it’s totally fine.” Hal apologized. 

"Hal, can I ask you something ?"

"Sure."

"You and Bruce had fought for as long as I can remember but with the years, I have the feeling that you got more and more defensive about Bruce. He's always as difficult to read but you're not so guarded. I wondered… Is there something going on ?"

"Like what ?" Hal asked suspiciously, bracing himself for what Jessica had to say. 

"Are you in love with Bruce ?"

It took Hal a bit more time than necessary to react. Obviously, Jessica was asking this to this world’s Hal but Hal had felt like the question was personal. 

"Er, sorry. Can you just wait for a second ?" he said when Jessica called his name questioningly. 

"I thought running away wasn’t worthy of a Lantern." she quipped as Hal was about to leave her. 

"Sometimes I really regret having been your instructor. It gives you too much ammunition against me. Anyway, I am not running away, I just need to find Bruce."

Which shouldn’t be too complicated, they weren’t that many guests. Jessica wished him good luck and soon enough he managed to find Bruce - alone in the kitchen. Hal closed the door behind him and leaned against it to prevent others from coming in. 

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Can I talk to you for a second ?” Hal asked. 

“Something’s wrong ?”

“Oh no, not really. It’s just that Jessica is starting to ask uncomfortable questions, so I thought we should make an announcement now rather than later.” Hal explained.

“Of course.” 

When they stepped back in the living-room, it was oddly silent. Even odder - most of the guests had their backs turned to them, looking at shelves. Hal frowned, wondering what could attract their attraction.

"You were supposed to take care of the pictures." Bruce sighed against his ear. 

"I forgot." Hal said, shrugging. 

Which pictures ? Before Hal could think further about it, most people had turned around and Bruce and him were facing perplexed faces. And some knowing ones too. 

“Do you have a good explanation for this ?” Barry asked, handing a picture to Hal. 

Hal looked at it and couldn’t help but smile. It was a lovely picture. 

_Hal was leaning over a balcony, a soft smile on his lips. Bruce had his arms wrapped around him and his face buried in Hal’s neck._

They looked happy. Hal felt an ache in his chest, a pang of envy that he repressed quickly. Maybe he would never see the Bruce of his world again. He had to be prepared for that.

“Good taste in men ?” he said nevertheless, gesturing to Bruce for further evidence. 

He caught the man hiding his smile by taking a sip of his glass of wine. 

“That’s not what I asked for.” Barry pointed out, raising an eyebrow. 

“Bruce ?”

“Right.” Bruce said, putting down his glass as he recognized this for Hal asking for his assistance and he stepped forward a bit to find himself right next to Hal.  
They weren’t touching but close enough that they could, if they wanted to. Hal wanted to but he kept his hands to himself.

“I hope you’ve all found the walls’ decoration to your taste. I see that you’ve noticed the family pictures. You look like you may have questions. Well, I actually invited you tonight because Hal and I wanted to talk about this with you.”

“This ?” Jessica prompted. 

Hal grabbed Bruce’s hand then a bit clumsily and Bruce intertwined his fingers into his, exercising a soft pressure.

“This. The extent of our relationship.” Hal said quietly. 

“Hal and I found out we were soulmates about two years and a half ago. It took us some time to adjust to it but we started dating… nearly two years ago.” Bruce admitted. 

“And you kept that from us for so long ?” someone asked.

Jessica maybe, a feminine voice Hal didn’t identify at once. 

“It’s on me. At first, Hal and I weren’t certain we would work well as a couple but once we realized we did, I was the one to insist on keeping our relationship to ourselves.” Bruce explained. 

“What made you change your mind ?” Barry asked. 

Hal caught Bruce exchanging a look with Oliver so briefly he could have been dreaming it, but he was quite certain that Ollie had nodded discreetly just before Bruce focused his gaze elsewhere. 

“Two weeks ago, Hal was wounded during a mission and in need of a quick blood transfusion. I suggested using mine but Oliver pointed out that neither his nor my blood were compatible with Hal’s and that we’d better take him to the hospital.”

“You can’t reproach me for learning that damn chart about all our teammates’ blood types nobody else even read.” 

The others laughed. Hal didn’t remember them having a chart like that - well he better not give his Bruce the idea if he didn’t want to learn it. 

“Thank you for that unnecessary intervention. My blood and Hal’s aren’t compatible but I knew our soulmate’s bond would allow me to give my blood to Hal without endangering him. I could have done quicker if Oliver here hadn’t tried to prevent me from killing Hal. Or so he thought, anyway.”

“I am harder to kill than that.” Hal said. 

There were some laughs around them but Hal was pretty sure Dinah and Ollie were fighting using facial expressions. This one looked a lot like a “why haven’t you told me when you found out ?” and the answer could easily be read as “who would want to trigger Batman’s wrath ?”

“I am not taking the risk.” Bruce answered back. “So, yes, our bloods are compatible through our bond.” 

“Where are the pictures from ?” Barry asked, frowning. 

Bruce and Hal didn’t seem aware that they were being photographed on the photographs. It just seemed to be a handful of domestic scenes.

“Some have been taken by Alfted but they’re from surveillance, mostly. One of my kids took them as he led an investigation on our relationship. We weren’t even dating at first and I only managed to put a stop to it when I recognized Hal and I were indeed dating, some months after the first photographs were taken.”

Hal wondered what the other pictures looked like. He’d like to see them too. 

“You’ve kept the pictures ?” Dinah asked, and she sounded surprised.

“Hal likes them.” Bruce said, shrugging nonchalantly but Hal had no doubt he liked the pictures too.

Well, they were nice pictures. Bruce’s kid was talented. Which one would it be ? Tim probably, wasn’t he the stalker one ? 

“You two come here often ?” Jessica asked, looking around her.

“When we both can take some time off. We both like it there. It’s peaceful.” Bruce said.

“You mean you don’t get spied on by your own kids.” Oliver remarked. 

“Touché.” Bruce said, smiling.

It was the last thing that Hal heard him say before disappearing to another place and starting to develop a massive headache. 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bruce had gone back to his home planet in the middle of a League meeting discussing his and Hal’s disappearances, alongside a man who looked like Hal but who seemed quite confused about the situation. 

“Hal. You’re not in your world. The Hal from his world is having some trouble with dimension travelling and it affects other Hals who find their way here. But they find their way back to their worlds quickly enough.” Bruce explained after having talked with Clark and checked if he was on the right planet.

“So you’re not my soulmate.” Hal said. 

“Indeed. We have some work to do to make things right. You can either help us or go to Hal’s quarters.” Bruce said as Clark handed everyone copies of the reports of this world’s Hal.

“I’ll stay.” Hal’s copy claimed. 

“I didn’t doubt it. We’re going to look through Hal’s last reports. If you find anything, anyone who could be related to dimension travelling in those reports, tell us.” 

“Have you thought to check your soulmate’s reports for the Corps too ?” Hal asked. 

“Hal isn’t - Jessica and John had some free time and had been looking through them, according to Clark.”

Hal nodded and they immersed themselves in Hal’s JL reports. 

They were numerous and well documented and Bruce had agreed to look at the most recent first but had reminded everyone that for some alien creatures, five, ten, or fifteen years meant nothing and that a creature Hal had met at the start of his Green Lantern days may have taken an interest in him just now. 

Bruce had obligations in Gotham, both as Bruce Wayne and Batman and had to leave the Watchtower for a few hours but came back the second he was free. 

Right in time to learn about some new developments.

It was actually Jessica who had found a mention of Shrena in a eight year old report and claimed that it was a powerful entity he met briefly but that had extraordinary powers. She was seen as the Goddess of travellers by some populations in Hal’s sector of the galaxy. 

“She’s supposed to be a benevolent entity. And Hal apparently helped her when she was imprisoned by mercenaries years ago. I don’t know why she would do that to Hal but… I don’t know, I just have the feeling it could be her.”

“Do you know how to find her ?” Bruce asked. 

Jessica wordlessly handed Bruce a pouch containing pink, translucent leaves. 

“You’re supposed to chew these for a few minutes and she’ll speak to you in your mind.” she explained. 

Bruce’s brow furrowed. Alien drugs. It didn’t seem like a very good plan, but Jessica wasn’t offering any other option. 

“But you only have ten minutes.” Hal said.

Bruce turned to him but Hal’s gaze was focusing on the colored leaves.

“Why ?” 

“Humans react more strongly to this than most aliens.” Hal said with a grimace.

“You’ve had this before ?” Bruce asked.

“Not to communicate with Goddesses.” Hal admitted. 

He looked embarrassed. 

“I can do it.” Clark offered but Bruce shook his head.

“No. I’ll do it.” Bruce assured. 

“You better sit on the floor then and make yourself comfortable.” Hal said. 

Bruce did as recommended and put some of the leaves in his mouth. They smelled like dirt and tasted very sugary. 

“Imagine Hal finding out Batman had to get stoned on the meeting room floor to speak to an alien goddess just to bring him back.” Jessica commented. 

“Just this thought should make him come back.” Bruce said, and he started chewing the alien leaves.

The sugary taste went even more potent as he started chewing. He felt himself relax quickly. He was quite certain he would have trouble standing if he hadn’t been sitting. Alien drugs were really something else. 

“You should start calling for her now, you won’t have much time.” Hal pressed him. “Her name’s Shrena. She’s the Goddess of travellers.”

Bruce refrained to say he remembered. His memory was starting to feel mushy. _Shrena. Shrena, I implore you._

Bruce closed his eyes as the lights in the room started becoming too intense and his teammates’ voices started to get mixed with each other. He could feel arms around him steadying him but quickly enough he was lost to his world.

 _Shrena, I implore you._ he repeated as a litany. He had the feeling it lasted for ages but after a certain amount of time, an echo formed in his head.

_”Brave traveller, what are you looking for ?”_

_I am looking for my friend. I believe you’ve met him. He answers to the name of Hal Jordan. He’s a Green Lantern._ Bruce said. 

He felt like he wasn’t in his body anymore. No, worse, like someone else was. 

_”I know who Hal Jordan is. And I remember you. You are Hal Jordan’s soulmate.”_

Bruce hesitated here but thought better not to contradict a Goddess, no matter how alien she was.

 _What is happening to him ? Why isn’t he home ?_ he asked instead.

 _”He hasn’t finished the loops. He has to complete them to go home.”_ the Goddess answered. 

_He went home before, but he was unable to stay._ Bruce pointed out. 

_”A mere error. The loop was faulty. But Hal Jordan has to complete all the loops to come home”._

So, she had made a mistake. She just wasn’t too keen on recognizing it. 

_How many of them are there ?_ Bruce asked.

 _”Why, the perfect number, obviously.”_ the Goddess said, and her voice seemed less cavernous. 

Bruce was going to ask how much exactly that was, but he was suddenly pulled out of his mind rather suddenly. 

“Spit all the leaves, Bruce !” that other Hal was saying, patting his back. 

He had his arms wrapped around Bruce, holding him to his chest. 

“No, I have to come back, I want -” Bruce said, pushing his hands away. 

“Spit them before she takes over your mind !” Jessica warned and Bruce reluctantly did as he was told.

“This wasn’t just drugs, was it ?” he asked.

His brain still felt fuzzy and he felt a bit nauseous but his mind was much clearer than earlier. 

“The leaves, once chewed, induce possession. The experience can be quite surreal. How are you feeling ? Lingering hallucinations, headaches ?” Hal asked. 

“I’m fine. But I have to do it again. I couldn’t learn -” he said but Hal shook his head. 

“No, you’ve just been possessed, you can’t go through it again right away without it being dangerous. Tell us what you know and we’ll think about what to do later.” Jessica said. 

“It’s her who put Hal through this but she didn’t tell me why. She seemed to think she was doing him a favor. And she said she was putting him through the perfect number of loops but -” Bruce said. 

“That’s good, actually. The perfect number is 13. How many changes Hal had to go through already ?” Jessica interrupted. 

“Ten. Are you sure for the perfect number ?” Bruce asked and he felt strangely hopeful. 

This was going to end soon. Hal would be okay. 

“Yes. It’s a cultural thing in the populations praying Shrena.” the other Hal explained. 

“Do you think she could have lied ?” Bruce said, trying to temper his unusual optimism.

“Why would she have ?” Jessica said.

She looked hopeful too, and Bruce remembered that Hal and her were friends, that he had taught her what he knew when she had to figure out how to be a Lantern. 

“We’re going to have our Hal back sooner than we thought.” she said, smiling at Bruce. 

Bruce would have agreed with the feeling if he hadn’t felt overwhelmed with many emotions including some that weren’t his own at the second the Hal that had been with them was replaced by another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am afraid this one felt a bit rushed - I just didn't feel like writing 7k for only one chapter again, to be honest - but I hope it's not too bad despite how long it took me to write it. This one really didn't want to write itself.  
> So, this was inspired by [Blood types and other minor inconveniences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25400683).  
> Next chapter will be inspired by [A Penny For Your Thoughts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27715709).
> 
> A missing scene for the first part of this chapter : [A stack of photographs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27923986).


	11. A Penny For Your Thoughts Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in one part (and consequently short) but you should understand why.
> 
> In “A Penny For Your Thoughts”, Bruce and Hal are soulmates and after some uncertain times, they learn how to share emotions and thoughts through their bond.

Hal groaned and put his hands around his head. His head felt like a mess. 

"Too… much." he mumbled. 

A hand reached out for him. Bruce’s, it would seem - well, it probably wasn’t Hal’s Bruce but one could always dream. 

"I can't feel you. Have you closed the connection ?"

"What do you mean ? Which connection ?” Hal answered, rubbing his temples. 

He was trying to focus on what that Bruce was saying but the sensation in his head was really uncomfortable. It felt like his brain was being hijacked or something. His thoughts seemed to be working wrong and was that even a possibility ? 

"Are you okay ? I can't reach you." Bruce was saying, holding Hal’s wrist a bit more firmly. 

Hal sighed. The situation required an explanation - he wasn’t understanding a damn thing and he could tell that this Bruce was on the verge of freaking out - he was too tense even on a Bruce's scale. 

"Whoever you think I am, I am not them. I am a dimension traveller. But maybe this conversation can wait for a minute or two because my head feels like it's going to explode." Hal told the man through gritted teeth. 

Bruce looked at him warily.

"And mine feels empty.” he said after a second of silence. “Try to close the link."

Hal just stared at Bruce until the man in the Batsuit seemed to perceive Hal’s total cluelessness and offered details.

"Close your eyes and push back the feelings that don't seem to be yours." he told Hal.

Hal nodded and did as he was told before realizing what Bruce had said and reopening his eyes. 

"The feelings that - oh. It worked." Hal said as he noticed that his mind was much clearer.

"Of course." Bruce said.

He looked on edge. Well, Hal didn’t feel too comfortable about having alien thoughts either so they were on even grounds. 

"Where are the feelings from ?" Hal asked quietly.

He could take an educated guess but the man at his side sounded like he would know for certain. 

"Two possible sources. The first one would be Hal but Hal is used to using our bond without hurting the receptor of his feelings - namely, me. Furthermore, you talked about feelings, not voices and -" Bruce started saying before Hal interrupted him. 

“Voices ? What do you mean, voices ?” Hal asked, startled. 

“Sharing thoughts. Hal and I do it often - it can come handy in the battlefield.” 

Hal just laughed, holding his head between his hands. 

“Of course. We should try that, back where I am from. I can’t imagine the others’ faces if they had to hear Batman bark orders right in their mind.” 

“I’ll appreciate more respect for our culture from a guest.” Bruce said and he looked quite angry. 

Hal shrugged. He wasn't impressed by any Bruce's moods.

“I am not a guest. I am captive in a damn loop and I can’t go home. Sorry for trying to not be too miserable about it."

“I am sorry for you. Truly. But this isn’t my doing and my soulmate is missing. Could we concentrate on that ?” Bruce said. 

He didn't even try for an apology. It had never been Bruce's forte. Well, Hal's Bruce anyway. Speaking of...

“Right. The second possible source would be Bruce ?” Hal asked. 

It had to be. It would make sense. 

“Someone from elsewhere, in any case. They probably never experienced bonds the way we do here either if you were having that bad of a headache.” 

“Does it mean I am hurting them with my thoughts too ?” Hal said, making a face.

Bruce shook his head at him. 

“Not anymore. It’s a mutual connection. If you’re blocking it from your side, it’s blocked for them too.” He explained. 

"How does it work ? How can I contact Bruce ?"

He could do that, right ? That would be... Hal didn't have the words for it. Bruce just nodded before speaking up.

"You have to feel. And think. With the intention of sharing. Not too strongly or he'll feel overwhelmed, you have to evaluate how much you’re sharing. It becomes more natural after some time. It would work better with feelings for a first attempt.” 

Hal took a deep breathe. He had to focus if he wanted a chance to talk to the Bruce from where he was from.

“Okay, I am ready. So, I just… reopen the bond but a bit less ?” he asked, uncertain. 

“Yes. Hopefully Hal is with your partner and can guide him through this.” 

Hope. Hal could try sharing that - he could perceive the insidious feeling circulating in his mind, refusing to be crushed by pessimism.

Hal closed his eyes again. Breathed more intensely. And he tried to share what he felt - he had barely thought of opening his mind to Bruce that he could hear his name being said repeatedly. 

“Bruce ?” he said, and for some reason, even in his mind, he was whispering. 

However, his Bruce must have heard him because the next second, the barely veiled worry that had assaulted him when he had wanted to share his hopes with Bruce had changed into a warm feeling. 

“How are you feeling ?” 

“You can’t tell ?” Hal thought, projecting relief and comfort as much as he could. 

He hadn’t spoken a word aloud after making contact with Bruce but he could feel the tears running down his cheeks, grounding him in the world outside his mind. 

“Is Hal with you ? I think his Bruce would like to know.” he thought. 

I wouldn’t mind knowing either, he thought too, less intentionally. 

“He is. Helped me to call for you but he concluded you must have closed the bond.”

“My head was hurting.” Hal explained.

“Mine too. Who would have thought Hal Jordan could think so intensely ?”

It was meant as a playful quip but Hal frowned. He tried not to let his tenseness impact their shared bond but his tone gave his feelings away. 

“Not you. You keep underestimating me.”

Hal could feel Bruce's frustration in his next words. 

“You wouldn’t be in the League if I did. I know your worth. Told your Mom so not long ago.” Bruce was thinking. 

“You did what ?”

Confusion now prevailed in Hal's mind. 

“Sorry, errant thought. Just something that happened last time I jumped dimensions. Look, we can talk about this later, there’s something you need to know.” Bruce said. 

A wave of feelings overwhelmed Hal for a few seconds.

“Wow. It’s a very strange thing to say, especially to you, but could you tone down the happiness ? It’s making me dizzy. What’s happening ?” Hal asked. 

Happiness was contagious. He could feel himself smiling and Bruce hadn't said anything yet.

“You’re going to be able to come home quite soon. Two more loops after this one and you will be done.” 

Hal left relief wash over him. His, Bruce's  
… he wasn't quite certain. Didn't mind. 

“You’re sure ?” he asked, some disbelief still present in his voice. 

“Positive. Talked to one of your old acquaintances. I'll tell you more about it later, but you're going to be able to come home sooner than we thought." Bruce said.

He could feel the warmth of Hal's emotions. It was amazing. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hug someone so much in my life.” Hal said in his head.

“You’re aware I didn’t do anything ? That’s just information.” Bruce answered back.

“And you've found it and brought it to me. Fuck, Bruce, I -” 

At that moment Hal's mind was so full of emotions Bruce felt like his own head was going to explode.

“Feelings, Hal. Focus.” 

Hal laughed quietly, but there was some distress there. Bruce tried to send him warmth for comfort.

“You don’t know how it is. How it is to find out you’re not so doomed, to know that you have a future. You gave me hope. You gave me hope, Bruce. I - ” 

Hal shook his head - his Bruce wouldn't see it but his feelings needed to express themselves physically too. 

“God, I love this man.” Hal thought absentmindedly. 

“I’ve not experienced this the way you have, but believe me when I say that I want you home.” Bruce said. "And so do I, Hal."

“Yes, I want to be there so much. And what are you talking about ?”

There was a slight pause.

“Nevermind. You'll remember later. Is there anything I can do to help you ?”

“I - wait, another Bruce is asking for my attention.” Hal said, feeling his arm being pulled.

He opened his eyes. The Bruce from earlier was here. 

“I take it you managed to communicate with your partner ?” he told Hal. 

Partner was stretching it a bit, Hal thought, and he had no doubt his Bruce heard it. 

“Yes. He told me Hal was with him.” Hal said to reassure the man. 

It must be strange to not have your soulmate in your head when you were used to. You may feel desperate to hear them again. 

“I’d like to make sure it’s my Hal. Ask for proof.” the Bruce who was there with Hal asked. Commanded, rather.

Hal barely raised an eyebrow. Maybe the man was upset. He could understand that and try to give him some comfort.

“Okay but try to remember I am not a carrier pigeon.” Hal warned.

A few seconds later, he got an answer in his head. 

“Last night's patrol left you with a nasty bruise over your lower ribs. You're not as good at hiding things as you think you are, according to him."

"Hal worries too much." the Bruce at Hal's side sighed.

"Right. What could ever happen to you on patrol, um ?"

His Bruce, the one currently living rent-free in his head, sent him the memory of a severely injured Hal, accompanied with incredulity. "Are you kidding me ?"

"I can have my own arguments with my Hal, keep yours for your Bruce." the other man said. 

"Sorry. I am tired."

"Are you okay ?" the Bruce in his mind asked.

"I feel strange. I think I am going to jump dimensions and lose the ability to communicate with you. I don't want to be left alone again." Hal said. 

His Bruce tried to send him calming vibes. 

"It will be fine. Just two more worlds and you'll be home."

"You have a contingency plan, right ?" Hal asked. 

He felt Bruce's confidence invading his thoughts and let it, enjoying the sensation. 

"It will work. And Lantern, you're forgetting who you're talking to. I have two contingency plans." Bruce said, sharing his -a bit forced- amusement with Hal.

Hal retaliated with some humor.

"My hero." he thought, his tone quite ironic but also warm.

It was the last thing they shared before their bond was severed and Hal found himself in another place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late, I'll share the links another time. 
> 
> I don't like the previous chapter that much and it will probably get through a rewrite at a later point but uni student me is quite busy with projects and revising exams.  
> Sorry for having been virtually absent lately but as I said, uni work is quite time-consuming.


	12. The Words On Our Skins Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "The Words On Our Skin", when your soulmate falls in love with you, they say the words written on your skin. Bruce and Hal have been occasional lovers for a while when they realize they are soulmates. Hal's words are "It's nice to have you back". Bruce's aren't relevant for that sequel.

The only presence Hal could now feel in his head was himself, and it was oddly disappointing. He had never thought he was lonely in here, but the sensation of another mind reaching out hadn't been unpleasant.  
Now he was on his own and he would have to work his way home alone. 

He had wound up in some corridor - according to his surroundings, he would bet on somewhere in the Watchtower. 

"Still not home, uh ?" Hal muttered to himself as he took a closer look at the security system on the door in front of him.

It seemed to be an update on the current security of Hal's own Watchtower. 

The door had two symbols on it. A bat and a ring underneath. It looked like he shared his quarters with Bruce, in this place. 

Hal brushed the luminescent green symbol with his fingertips and was subjected to a full body scan before being offered admittance. 

He hesitated. He hadn't planned to open the door but now he was curious to see what the place would look like. 

Hal pushed the door open and closed it behind him. 

He took in the whole room. A bed, two desks, a small table, chairs, a coffee-maker. 

A large cork board hung from the wall, complete with highlighted reports, post-it notes, pictures and colored pins.  
Bruce's current preoccupation, if Hal had to issue a guess. 

There was a white board next to it. _Days before Hal's return :_ you could read at the top, in Hal's own handwriting. _2_ was written underneath, dead center, in someone else's style.

Someone was sitting at one of the desks.

Some version of Bruce looked up from the file he was reading and put down his coffee mug. 

“You’re here early.” the man said, standing up and pointing to the white board.

Hal hadn't considered the potential presence of one of Bruce's copies as he went in there. 

“Do you mind ?” he said. 

Bruce shook his head, wrapped Hal in a tight embrace, and breathed him in.

“I really don’t. I have some reports I want you to look at but you're probably two seconds away from crashing out so why don't you do that for now ?"

Hal nodded. He did feel exhausted. 

So he laid on the comfortable mattress nearby and fell asleep almost immediately despite the lights still being on.

When he woke up, the lights were out and he could feel Bruce's arms wrapped around him, tightly enough to make it uncomfortable.

"Did something happen when I wasn't there ?" Hal asked, turning around to face him in the obscurity. 

"Wait, are you injured ?" Hal asked when he noticed Bruce had winced at the change of position and that his only answer had been to loosen his grip on Hal. 

He had a bad feeling about this. 

Hal used his ring to provide them with some light. Bruce shied away from the light. 

"I was. It's getting better." he said. 

"It scared you. It was a close call." Hal deduced, and he got a bit closer to Bruce.

That was why Bruce had been holding him too strongly. He had thought he had been about to lose everything. Hal wasn’t sure how to feel about this. Anger seemed legit. Relief too. 

"Who's the detective, now ?" Bruce said a bit grimly.

He had sat up and Hal imitated him. Their surroundings were only illuminated by the ring. The familiar glow seemed to appease the both of them somehow. 

“What is it that we always argue ? Whatever the place, whatever the universe, whatever the circumstances, we’re always at each other’s throats.” Hal said, rubbing his eyes.

It was a question he would have rather asked his Bruce about.

“That’s what people who care for each other do.” Bruce said quietly, letting his hand slide right next to Hal without touching him.

Hal put his hand right above it without a second thought. 

“You think ?” Hal asked, doubtful as Bruce intertwined their fingers. 

“Maybe it’s just that we both like to fight.” Bruce said with a shrug, smiling at Hal. “Thankfully we’re great at making up too.” he said, bringing Hal’s hand to his lips.

“Ah, about that -” Hal started saying as Bruce pulled him closer. “This is all uh - very nice but I am going to have to decline the offer.” he said, moving a bit away from Bruce.

“Are you angry with me ?” Bruce asked.

“What ? No. I mean, yes but I am quite sure your Hal can manage the lecturing about justified risk-taking. The thing is, I am not your Hal and I have enough of one Bruce to worry about, it’s a full-time job.”

“I don’t -” Bruce could barely say before Hal disappeared. 

Hal was already mourning the comfort of his mattress when he found himself on another one, even more comfortable. Well, his last stop before home didn’t seem so bad, he thought before falling back asleep without even having taken a look at his new surroundings. 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bruce had been working in the Watchtower. The Watchtower was mostly empty this day and Bruce had decided to settle in the deserted meeting-room. 

He was so focused on the report he was writing that he barely noticed someone entering the room. By the looks of it, one more Hal Jordan. 

“I knew I’ll find you there. So, not saying anything ?” he said, sauntering in. 

Bruce looked at him in utter puzzlement but he wasn’t quite certain Hal could read him well enough to know, since he was wearing the cowl. Well, this Hal might. For all he knew, he may have been married to his own version of Bruce for fifteen years. 

“What -” he started saying but Hal cut him off.

No impulse control whatsoever. Or a subconscious desire to annoy Bruce, Bruce himself wasn’t quite certain. Hal had this nasty habit of making Bruce unsure - “broadening your horizons” he called it. Bruce found it extremely irritating. 

“No ‘it's nice to have you back’ ?” Hal said with a warm smile that did something to Bruce’s insides the man didn’t care to analyse. “You didn’t think I’d be home so soon, right ?”

Bruce stood up abruptly and looked at Hal more piercingly. 

“You’re really back ? You weren't supposed to -” he said, and this time Hal didn’t have to interrupt him, he just didn’t finish his sentence as he got a few steps closer to Hal. 

Hal took the next steps and wrapped his arms around him. Bruce replicated the gesture. It wasn’t that comfortable with his armor and Hal’s uniform but he appreciated the warmth of Hal in his arms. 

“Missed me ? The mission went really well and I have no other assignment planned for now, so yeah, I am going to stay for a bit, probably. We should celebrate, I’ve missed you too.” Hal said, smiling at Bruce. 

Bruce tensed involuntarily the second he realized it wasn’t his Hal he was holding against him. Hal frowned at his reaction. 

"Is everything okay ?" he said, stroking Bruce’s jaw. 

"It's fine." Bruce answered, turning his head away.

His tone had been more clipped than he had wanted to let on. His own Hal wouldn’t have missed that and he doubted this one would. He kept smiling, just a bit more stiffly than you’d expect.

"Okay. I hadn't been home for a while and I thought we could spend a nice evening with the kids but maybe we could take some time for just the both of us instead. What do you think ?"

"The kids ?" Bruce asked.

He kept forgetting that Hals being a more important of other Bruces’ personal lives also took part in their home life and interacted with their children. 

"You know, the dangerous creatures living under your roof ? Has Alfred followed through his threats and put a lock on the coffee machine ? You look like you need caffeine."

"What ? No."

He was trying not to be short with this Hal but that was clearly not functioning. Hal looked quite concerned. 

"Is it something I've done ?" he asked, getting a bit away from Bruce. 

"This isn't about you." Bruce sighed. 

He didn’t want to explain this once again, he didn’t want to make Hal’s absence more real. 

"So there's something ?"

Of course it would be what Hal would focus on.Bruce stayed silent. 

"Sometimes I wonder what's going on in there." Hal murmured, smoothing out the lines on Bruce's forehead.

"You have no idea." Bruce murmured. 

"Maybe I want to. Maybe you could talk to me instead of shutting me out like that. I am here, now and what's the point if you're not talking to me ?" Hal said, and he looked so heartbroken, then. 

"Hal…" Bruce said softly, a hand to his shoulder. 

"Bruce, tell me what's wrong. I know something must have happened while I was away for you to act so strangely. I’d very much like to have my soulmate back, and I am probably not getting that until you talk about what’s bothering you."

"Everything's fine. For now, at least." Bruce said, not looking at Hal. 

"What are you worried about ?" Hal said quietly. 

So many things at the moment that Bruce wasn’t sure he could list them all. 

"The future." he said instead, which was as close to the real answer as it could be. 

"We've always managed." Hal remarked. 

He seemed surprised. It hadn’t been the answer he had been expecting. 

"For now." Bruce said. 

"There's nothing like living in the present, right ?" Hal answered back. 

Bruce made a non committal noise. 

"Come here." Hal said softly, opening his arms once again. 

Bruce stepped into them hesitantly. 

Hal hugged him tightly.

"Tell me what's going on. I hate it when something is troubling you that much and you don't want to talk about it." 

"I -"

“Bruce, please.” 

And had anyone really been able to resist that man ? Bruce gave up. 

“You’re not home. I am not your soulmate or whatever your Bruce is. This is another dimension, and here Hal Jordan is missing. You said something that made me assume he was back but I quickly noticed you weren’t him.” Bruce explained.

He didn’t even obtain a reaction for Hal - he had disappeared before that and Bruce just sighed. Maybe he could just go home and rest for a bit. He would have to deal with yet another Hal visiting later. Hopefully, the last one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspired by [The Words On Our Skins](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405853).
> 
> I keep writing short chapters these days but chapter 13 seems like it will be longer. (What am I even doing ? This baby was supposed to be maybe 25k once finished.
> 
> Chapter 13 is still in progress and I doubt I'll post again before the 1st, so Happy New Year to you all !


	13. These things alone do I now regret : things left unsaid. Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just saying : the one-shot this is based on has a Major Character's Death warning. 
> 
> In "These things alone do I now regret : things left unsaid.", Hal and Bruce are soulmates who have lived happily together for some years when they say their last words to their soulmates just before Hal leave for a difficult space mission. However it's Bruce who dies.  
> Their last words were "Go save the world, Lantern." and "Everything to keep you safe."
> 
> If you don't want to read it, you can find a summary* of this chapter in this chapter's end notes.

Hal woke up to someone shaking his shoulder vigorously. He groaned and turned away - he had been sleeping so well. The shaking became more insistent and he started perceiving someone saying his name. He sat up - it seemed important.

“Bruce ?” he called, rubbing his eyes.

A hand squeezed his shoulder. The hand was tied to a muscular arm covered by a suit jacket.  
Hal blinked sleep away and looked at the man crouched next to the bed.

The face he saw wasn’t the one he had expected. Ha has expected blue eyes and dark hair but the man in front of him was younger than Bruce, but older than Hal remembered. 

“Hi, kid.” Hal said with a smile. “Where’s Bruce ?” he asked. “Is something wrong ?” he asked, noticing the stiffening of the younger man’s shoulders.

“Hal - you do remember ? Bruce is, that is he isn’t -” Dick Grayson started saying before stopping abruptly, like the words were burning his throat and he couldn’t go further. 

So he just looked at Hal with watering eyes and a frown of concern.

“Oh.” Hal said, looking down at his hands. Seeing him, you would have believed there was blood on them. 

From his son’s reaction he could tell Bruce wasn’t just injured in this world. He was dead. 

It had to happen at some point. Nobody lived forever, especially not people doing what they did. It didn't mean Hal accepted it easily.

Now that he was fully awake, he could see that Bruce’s son was wearing a formal attire that could be appropriate for a funeral. 

Hal took a sharp breath and closed his eyes. This was just another world. The Bruce he knew wasn’t dead. He couldn't let his brain mix things up. 

“I am sorry.” Hal said and his voice wasn’t completely steady.

Grayson shook his head and sat at the end of the bed, pushing his hair away from his eyes before he spoke.

“It’s alright. Sometimes I forget too, I say something and when he doesn't answer I remember he isn't there. But it’s time for the ceremony. That’s why I woke you up. Alfred was going to do it but he already has so much to handle…” he said. 

Hal nodded. Dick Grayson was a good kid.

“What am I supposed to wear ?” Hal asked, lost. 

Hal had been to many funerals before. Some of them had been more significant than others. This one felt different to them all, the way his Dad’s had. 

Dick pointed to the wardrobe. A garment bag hung there. 

"Right. I won't be long." Hal said before squeezing Dick’s shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting way.

"Alfred also said you should wear cufflinks. In the second drawer of your nightstand. The green ones Bruce got you for your fiftieth birthday." 

Hal did his best not to check his reflection on the mirror. Him being older explained why Dick himself had looked older, but he hadn’t fully realized the implication until then.

"Ah." Hal said as he opened the drawer, only to be faced with multiple boxes of different forms and colors. 

He hadn't thought he would own that many cufflinks one day. He looked back at Dick. 

"I think Alfred said they were in a navy box ?" Dick said, half-smiling.

Hal found what he was looking for in the mentioned box. 

"Right." Hal lowered his head and covered his face with his hands a few seconds to compose himself. 

Bruce wasn’t dead. Well, he was in this world and it seemed to affect his kid a lot and Hal was starting to feel quite bad about it - he was an intruder in a grieving family.

"You're going to be fine ? I am sorry but we really don’t have much time." Dick said, looking at Hal. 

So, they had let him sleep. Either he hadn’t been back on Earth for long or Bruce's death had affected him quite a lot. Hal couldn't be sure for the first assumption, but he was quite sure the second one was part of the explanation.

"Thank you, Dick. I'll manage." Hal said, granting him a weak smile.

Dick went along with it, nodding and exiting the room. 

Hal took a cold shower to keep his head straight. Barely a few hours before, he had thought the last step before home would be easy but right now he found himself mourning a man he had never met but who shared much with someone he knew and loved. 

Loved. Hal's brain caught on the word. That was what he had thought, back when he was sharing his mind with Bruce. That was what Bruce had been answering to when he expressed that he reciprocated the feeling. 

What a great time for such a realization, Hal thought as he went out of the bathroom to put on the clothes that had been chosen for him. 

Bruce had told him he would remember it later. Hal was forced to admit he had been right - as he tended to be. Well, he hoped Bruce had been right about him going home after this jump, too.

When he was dressed, Hal went out of the room. He met Alfred Pennyworth at the bottom of the stairs. The man looked centuries old. Hal doubted that it was only because of his age. Grief had a way to make you look older. 

"Is… everything ready ? Is there anything I can do ?" Hal asked softly.

The dignified butler shook his head. 

"Everything is in order. The guests are waiting.. We should join them, now."

"Thank you, Alfred." 

Hal followed the butler outside. He had forgotten the Waynes were buried here. 

Many guests were there. But no photographers, which was a relief. Hal wondered if Bruce had known all of these people personally. If he himself was supposed to recognize them.

He shook hands with people looking at him with such pity it made him even more uncomfortable that he had felt before. Which was quite a fit because the atmosphere was making him really nervous and uneasy. 

The chances that his own Bruce would die before he could manage to go home seemed quite weak until you remembered he was a vigilante and that risking his life was his daily -well, nightly mostly - hobby. 

The possibility made Hal's skin crawl. Burying another Bruce was hard enough without imagining it was his own Bruce's funeral. 

Bruce's kids were all staying in his orbit and he was starting to realize it was probably not for their own comfort but his. 

Dick had spent quite some time next to him to greet guests before going to greet some of his own.

Cassandra was now at his side, a quieter presence than Bruce's eldest but a reassuring one all the same. 

He was quite certain the other young people greeting guests were Tim and Stephanie but he had yet to find Bruce’s youngest. And he hadn’t seen Bruce’s second Robin but he wasn’t too surprised about this. He was about to ask Cass about them when he felt some weight against his leg. 

As he looked down, a toddler looked back at him, all big eyes and dimples. Her arms were wrapped around his legs. Hal crouched in front of her. He caught sight of a man walking intently in their direction, probably her father.

He didn’t recognize him, but something in his stance made him think they had met. He looked back at the blue eyed kid in front of him who then proceeded to run in his arms, jiggling. 

“Hi, you.” Hal said.

“Up !” the little girl exiged.

Her father had joined them by then and greeted Cassandra. 

“Hey, baby.” he said, petting her hair. “Grandpa Hal and Auntie Cass are a bit busy but they’ll play with you later, okay ?” 

Hal froze a bit. A grandkid ? He was still at this step in his life where he hadn’t totally given up on having kids. 

But of course, if Bruce’s kids were like his own, here… It felt odd. A day ago, he had been childless and now he was the grandfather of Bruce Wayne’s grandchild. 

“It’s alright. I don’t mind having her with me.” Hal said. “You don’t mind if I pick her up ?”

“If it’s okay with you.” the man said, shrugging, as the little kid was half-singing “up, up, up, up !” 

She giggled as Hal picked her up. “Up, up” she kept saying even once he had secured her in his arms and was standing again, which made him think he must have made her fly over his head before. 

How old could she be ? Probably not even 2. Hal wondered who was her second parent. One of Bruce’s kids, of course, but Bruce had many of those. Not Cass, it would seem. 

“Can you two take care of Lucy for a few minutes ? I am going to check on her Dad.” the younger man said, his gaze sliding to another part of the garden, where a man was greeting a few people. 

Red Robin, Hal thought. Tim. He looked older too, but hadn’t changed that much. Which meant he knew who the other kid’s father was. Superboy. It was why he had seemed familiar, his resemblance with Clark. Hal couldn’t help but think he should have figured it sooner. 

“Boo ?” the little girl, slapping his chest with her baby’s hand, asked. 

Hal looked at her quizzically and turned to Cass. She looked at Hal grimly, before smiling at the kid. 

“Bruce isn’t here, sweetie.” she said, kissing the tiny curls on Lucy's head. 

The kid shook her head.

“Boo.” she said. 

She looked about to cross her arms petulantly and Hal had a hard time not laughing at her frowning face. 

“Not possible, kiddo.” he said, just when Stephanie joined them.

She kissed Cass’ cheek briefly - Hal hadn’t expected this new developpement but didn’t know them enough to know if they were dating in his world too - before cooing at the baby. 

“Hello, beautiful. Look who’s here. That’s your favorite Auntie, uh ? That’s Steph !” 

Hal saw Cass elbowing her and throwing her a dirty look as the toddler laughed and kicked to be released in Stephanie’s arms.

“You’re such a cute princess ! That’s my baby princess, um. You’re the best baby in the world.” she said, rubbing their noses together and making the kid laugh.

Then she turned to Cassandra. 

“Jason is in the kitchen with Alf.” she said quietly to her, before turning to Hal and Cass left.

“How are you doing ?” Stephanie asked, while she tickled Tim’s daughter gently. 

“Fine.” 

“Really ? Because the rest of the family isn’t. Well, Dick and Babs got back together so we got a good thing out of this, at least.”

“They weren’t -” Hal said before stopping. 

Not the same world.

Stephanie half-smiled.

“You’ve stopped keeping count too ? They broke up three weeks ago. Dick video called Cass during our honeymoon to let her know. Well, his next call was for telling us he had bad news and to come back home as soon as possible, so I guess the first wasn’t the worst of it.”

“I am so sorry for that.”

“Bruce has always had horrendous timing.” she said, petting her niece’s hair. “You don’t know how many dates we had to cancel because of emergencies.” 

The kid was half-asleep. 

“I can imagine.”

“Oh, he cancelled yours too ?” 

They laughed quietly. It owed them a few dark glares and surprised glances. 

Hal looked around him. He still had not located Bruce’s youngest kid, which was a bit odd. He tended to leave a path of furious people behind him, according to his world’s Bruce. 

“Have you seen Damian ?”

“He was doing a perfect impersonation of Bruce this morning. He has the brooding thing quite right.”

“Steph.”

“Saw him entering Bruce’s study earlier and I haven’t seen him out there. Maybe you should go check on him. The ceremony should start in 40 minutes.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Dick is with the Gordons but they will probably want to see you, do you want me to deal with Damian ?”

Hal shook his head. This was on him. 

“I’ll check on him. Tell the commissioner and Barbara that I’ll see them later, please.”

“Sure, see you soon. I am just going to give Sleeping Beauty here back to her Dads first, before she manages drooling all over my suit.” Stephanie said, turning on her heels. 

Hal dodged a few solicitous guests to go back inside and head for Bruce’s study. He was glad he knew where it was located because this manor was a labyrinth and he wondered if nobody had ever died looking for an exit. 

He took the stairs. One landing. Two. Left.

He didn’t find the right room only thanks to his memory though, but thanks to the noise. 

“What -” he thought before he started running in that direction.

His body didn’t feel as strong as usual and it was strange to realize that. He was older. He was still quite fast, just not as fast as he used to.  
He had needed a few more seconds to catch his breath too when he had been in front of the right door. It was open, and the show was quite distressing. 

Bruce’s study was a large room, with a lot of furniture and a lot of things on said furniture or inside it. It still looked like the room Hal had been invited to a few times but more in a hurricane-just-went-through-this-room style. Paper, glass, china and broken furniture everywhere. And in the middle of it, a young man, his back to the door. 

“You’ve finished yet ?” Hal asked him.

Damian turned around and Hal used the wall for support. God, the kid looked so much like Bruce, it was uncanny. 

Right down to the rage in his eyes. However, he hadn’t perfected the invulnerable look yet. 

He was shaking and Hal could tell he had been crying some time earlier. 

“God, Damian.” he sighed, noticing the bloody knuckles. “Come here.”

“Why ?” the young man asked, crossing his arms.

Before flinching, because of course he had splinters of glass and wood stuck in his hands. There was even blood on his shirt. 

“Because I am not going to go through the room and do more damage to what is undoubtedly priceless documentation acquired through years of hard work.”

Damian looked around him as if he was seeing the room for the first time. 

“Come on, we don’t have much time.” Hal said.

Especially since Damian needed a change of clothes, but thankfully years of vigilante work meant it shouldn’t take him long to be fit to be seen. And explaining the cuts on his hands. 

“What are you going to do ?” Damian asked, still undecided. 

“I am pretty sure I have never raised a hand on you, so why don’t you just trust me for once ?”

“I have granted you my trust before.” Damian protested as he took a small step forward.

“And I am asking you to trust me again.” Hal said, looking straight at him. 

He had prevented all pity from showing on his face - he doubted the man would react well to it. Damian ended up deciding to face Hal and went out of the room. 

Hal let him breathe for about two seconds before closing his arms around him - while trying to be mindful of the shards of glass. 

“What are you doing ?” Damian shrieked.

However he wasn’t fighting Hal and hadn’t asked him directly to stop, so Hal hugged him tighter, and after a few seconds Damian let himself relax. Not much, but just enough for Hal to know he had been right to do this. 

“I have this theory that Bruce and you haven’t been hugged enough as kids.” Hal said, petting Damian’s hair.

That gesture owed him a slap on the wrist. Which would have been fine, if Damian’s hands hadn’t been a mess of glass and wood fragments. 

“Ouch. I suppose you don’t want to go to Alfred ?” Hal asked, looking at the young man’s hands more closely. Damian winced. “I know, right. He’s the most scary of us. If he had ever set his mind on going after Gotham’s villains himself, Bruce would have had to find a new hobby to keep himself busy in a few weeks' time.”

Damian didn’t meet his gaze. The mention of Bruce, maybe ? Or was the shame of what he had just done setting ? 

“Look, kid. We’re going to heal your hands and both change because somehow you managed to cover me in blood and we can’t have people thinking we are not a normal family. And then we’re going to go to this damn ceremony and try to act civilly. After that, we’ll discuss what just happened.”

Damian looked like he was about to protest.

“Where’s the closest medical kit ?” Hal asked to cut him off. 

He was quite certain there was one in each room. Bruce was that kind of guy. And that kind of Dad, probably. Damian gestured to the next room.  
It was a room quite small, with three armchairs and a fireplace. Damian gestured to take the medical kit on the mantle but Hal snatched it before - the kid’s hands would thank him for that. 

They sat next to the window to benefit from the light, close enough for Hal to be able to remove the shards from Damian’s hands. 

“I do not want to talk about what I have done after the ceremony.” Damian pointed out, gritting his teeth as Hal removed the biggest glass sliver, discarding it in a small plate on the nearby table. 

“What, you didn’t think I would just let this pass ? I know your Dad had its moments and that nothing in your upbringing had been normal but destroying rooms is a step too far in the list of things I am willing to ignore. You can’t just let your anger get the better of you like that. I know today is a bad day. Believe me, I get it.” Hal said.

He had removed most of the glass from Damian’s right hand and had started with the splinters. 

“However, I won’t let Alfred get anywhere near this mess and I do believe he would support the reasoning behind this. We fix what we damage if it’s possible. So, this is going to be you and me recovering all the files and sorting them out again for a few days. Not to mention trying to fix the furniture you’ve destroyed and cleaning the mess you’ve made.” 

Damian seemed to think about his punishment for a bit and to conclude that it could be worse because he didn’t protest right away. That or he had listened to a word of what Hal had been saying.

“Why would you want to help me do this ?” Damian asked.

Hal was surprised it was the thing he had stumbled over.

“It’s called bonding time.” he said. 

Damian muttered something under his breath but Hal didn’t catch it as he wrapped his whatever-the-Damian-of-this-universe-was-to-him’s hand in a bandage.

“Fixing the study will take us ages.” Damian observed, tight-lipped.

Hal didn’t know him enough to tell if it was because of the pain or the slight indignation. 

“Well, think about the aftermath next time you’re about to break something. Seriously, kid, how much glass have you broken ? Did you smash the window too ?”

“No.” Damian said curtly, as Hal cleaned his left hand. 

He insisted on bandaging his hand himself and Hal let him. The kid had Bruce’s pride. 

“Let’s go change shirts. Be quick, we’re going to be late. Ask Alfred if you can put gloves on or something. Oh, and Damian ? It will get better.” 

“I know.” Damian said, turning his back to Hal. 

“You are not too bad of a hugger.” the young man said as he left the room, barely loud enough for Hal to hear.

Hal’s laugh followed him as they both went to their rooms. 

“What the fuck am I even doing ?” Hal muttered as he put on a new shirt. 

It wasn’t his place, he had overstepped. It wasn’t his family, it wasn’t his world. He had acted like he would have if he was in his world, and it was foolish. 

It had been so obvious that the kid needed comfort that Hal acted without thinking. He could just have taken care of his hands and said something about talking about it later instead of giving Damian directions his successor wouldn’t follow. 

Or… Hal grabbed the pad of sticking notes on the desk and a pen to write down a few things and put it on the nightstand. 

It wasn’t fixing his mistakes, really, but it was trying. 

He had just finished writing when he felt the familiar pull. He was going home. He closed his eyes. He really hoped he was. 

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bruce had been asleep when he was suddenly awoken by a presence next to him. Before he could attack the intruder, he noticed it was Hal. 

“Bruce ? Fuck, I am dreaming again. I miss you so much, you know. Why couldn’t it be me ? It didn’t have to be you.” Hal said, and he choked on the last words, gripping Bruce almost painfully. 

“Hal -”  
“I need to talk about these dreams to someone, right ? It’s just so hard to let you go, you know. I’ve said the world, you know ? That day you told me to go save it, I did. I did and you died and I couldn’t keep you safe.” Hal said, burying his face in Bruce’s neck.

“Hal, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Bruce said softly, his hand on the back of Hal’s head. 

Hal shook his head. 

“It’s not. It’s so not okay, Bruce. It should have been me.” 

Bruce could feel the Green Lantern shaking against him. He wrapped his arms around him until the shaking stopped. The last time he had seen Hal in such a frantic state - he couldn’t remember such a time. 

“It shouldn’t and it was not. I am sorry Hal. Really. But you have to go on.” Bruce said softly.

Really ? Why did things like that only happen to him ? Nobody had to comfort someone once they were dead. That, and Bruce wasn’t even good at comforting people. 

Thankfully, Hal seemed determined to do most of the talking. 

“Yeah, I know. Someday I will die but now isn't the right time for us to be reunited, right ? I am still a Lantern and I still have kids who have just lost their father to take care of.”

Thinking of his kids as Hal’s was disturbing. 

“How are they doing ? The kids.” he asked quietly.

“As well as you would expect, given the circumstances. Dick had been a wreck. You died in front of his eyes, just like his father did…” Hal said, sighing.

“That and he is trying to keep the others going, me and Alfred included. He’s taken your place as Batman for now but that’s temporary. But you'd be glad to know that your death brought Babs and Dick closer than ever and they are getting back together, so there's that.”

Bruce nodded. Dick tended to do that, trying to keep the family together when Bruce failed. Which happened more often than Bruce would have liked.

“Jason... you know Jason. Repressing his feelings like he's been raised by a sociopath dressing up as a bat. But he's been around, hanging out with Alfred and I.” Hal said. 

Bruce said nothing to that. He knew Hal was saying it in jest but he always had a hard time dealing with his failings as a parent when it came to Jason. 

“Tim and Kon have been staying at the manor too, with Lucy. We're spending all our time running after her, she's quite the vivacious toddler. And if Kon and his daughter weren't there, Tim would bury himself in work.” 

A grandkid. For some reason, Bruce hadn’t expected that. Well, his Tim was probably younger than this Hal’s, for instance. 

“Cass and Steph flew back. Bad timing. It's obvious they're upset because Steph doesn’t talk much and Cass has never talked more.” Hal said.

“Damian is… He’s hurting and taking everyone done with him. I got my first “you are not my real father” yesterday. I expected it when he was a teenager but I thought we were past the risk. It hurt like hell. Damian apologized but I think Dick made him.”

Hal sounded both indigned and upset. Bruce squeezed his arm.  
So Damian was an adult in this Hal’s world. And Hal seemed to have been co-raising him. It sounded… nice. 

“Don’t dwell on it. Damian is good at finding people’s weak spots. And Dick is a hypocrite. He went through the same “not my true father” phase right before moving to Blüdhaven.” Bruce explained. 

Hal nodded before taking Bruce’s hand. 

“I've suggested to Damian to invite friends over and have them staying for a while if he wanted but he flat out refused. Apparently he'd rather have Jon climbing through the window. Well, flying in is my guess. You’d believe they were sixteen or something.”

“That's…” Bruce started laughing, unable to find a satisfying adjective. 

“As if you haven't done your fair share of climbing through my Coast City's flat's window. You remember ?” Hal said, laughing quietly too. 

"How could I forget ?" Bruce murmured even if he had no memory of this. 

And seriously, how young he and Hal had been in that other world when they started dating ? Hal seemed to have found memories of this but it sounded flat out stupid.

"Oh and that time your cape got caught in the window ? That was hilarious, you were so grumpy about it.” 

Stupid, really. 

"You enjoy unnerving me too much." 

"Yeah well I am still salty about having to explain the black piece of fabric hanging from my window to the neighbours. 'What do you mean, Mrs Jenkins ? Which black flag ? Oh, it must have been brought by the wind'. And you secretly like it, me unnerving you." Hal said, smiling.

"I do ?" Bruce shot back. 

"I have a ring to prove it.” Hal claimed, laughing. “Fuck, I love you so much. Loved. Still love. It's complicated." he said, rubbing his eyes. 

"Shhhh." Bruce said. 

Hal stayed silent for a while and Bruce thought he had fallen asleep. 

"We had some good years together, right ?" 

"That we did." Bruce said. 

He wasn’t even lying. His Hal and him had had nice moments over the years. And a few not so nice, too. 

"And now I have to manage alone." Hal whispered. 

"You're not alone, Hal. There's the League. There's the Corps. There are your friends and mine. And there is our family." Bruce said. 

"Would you have believed in you and I if you have been told when we first met ?" 

Well, Bruce still had a hard time believing it but this Hal didn't need to know that.

"Would you have ?" Bruce shot back. 

Hal shook his head, laughing. 

"And yet. I married you, Bruce. Your kids have become mine, too. We have a granddaughter. She asked after you. Kon handles it as best he can because Tim just can't. Boo ! she calls, Boo !, looking for you under tables and behind curtains. It's heartbreaking."

"It's okay Hal. You know I really appreciate what you do for the kids." Bruce said.

He did. Them having some older figure that was also part of the family to look up too that wasn’t him or Alfred was a good thing. 

"Well, they're my family. And sometimes I have the feeling they're helping me out more than I am helping them. I think I am going to wake up soon, I have to be at the funeral." Hal said softly. 

Bruce tried not to flinch. 

"I understand. Take care of you and the kids, Hal. Watch over any grandkid we’re going to have. And live a long, happy life." he murmured, kissing Hal’s forehead. 

"I'll try. Would you mind saying it just one more time before you go ?"

Bruce could have asked what Hal wanted him to say but he was quite certain he already knew.

"I - I love you, Hal." 

"Love you too." Hal said, putting his hand just above Bruce's heart.

Bruce hesitated but covered it with his. They fell back asleep like that, Bruce wishing he would have the real Hal back in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *If you haven't read this chapter, this is for you :   
> In this chapter,   
> \- Hal from Journeys finds himself taking care of a dead Bruce's grown-up kids and greeting well-wishers with them. Before leaving this world, he left a note for the grieving Hal he has replaced so the widower could know what he had done while here (mainly, comforting an adult Damian after he destroyed Bruce's study in a fit of rage and telling him they would have to talk.). Right after, he feels he is changing places.   
> \- Bruce meets a grieving Hal who thinks he is only a dream and tells him how affected the kids are by Bruce's death. They fall asleep and Bruce wishes for his Hal. 
> 
> Warning : this chapter is mentioned several times in the next one
> 
> Chapter based on [These things alone do I now regret : things left unsaid.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25337356).
> 
> Wow. This is one of the first chapters I started writing - back when I have not writen any other chapters - and I am glad I managed to writing the rest. 
> 
> That was the last chapter based on my Soulmates AUs. One last chapter with the Hal and Bruce from Journeys and this part will be complete. I've finally decided how to organize this and there will be a second part to Journeys with my other Hals and Bruces' endings. And more.


	14. Journeys end in lovers' meeting Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW : Some mentions of the previous chapter and accordingly of a Major Character Death

Once again, Bruce woke to Hal moving next to him. He would have gone back to sleep if he hadn’t had the slightest hope that it was his Hal and that he was back for good. 

If Jessica had been right about the number of loops, it should be him. 

Bruce could tell in the darkness that Hal was looking down at him, sitting on the bed next to him. His hand was hovering over Bruce's heart and when he noticed Bruce was awake, he let it come into contact with the fabric of Bruce’s shirt the way that older, grieving Hal's hand had, wrinkling it. 

It was enough for Bruce to know that Jessica had been right. It was their Hal. 

“You’re alive.” Hal said softly, half-choking on the words. “You’re alive.” he repeated. 

"You're the right Hal." Bruce murmured, pushing Hal’s arm away and sitting up to reach for the Lantern’s face in a half-daze. 

He was half wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming all this. 

When he felt Hal's skin under his fingertips, he realized what he had been doing and let his hands fall on the bed sheets, turning the lights on so Hal’s attention wouldn’t linger on the awkwardness.

But Hal was quick to grab Bruce’s hands and hold them in his. 

“Please, tell me I am home ?” he pleaded quietly, intertwining their hands.

Bruce let him do it wordlessly and nodded his agreement. 

“No more soulmates and loops and other dimensions. Just home.” Hal insisted.  
Bruce took in the dark circles under his teammate’s eyes and the shadows in them. 

“You are home, Hal. Welcome back.” Bruce affirmed. 

Hal released his hands to rub his tired eyes. The emotional cost of all those trips away from his home must have been quite high. And for having done it just a few times, Bruce knew it had a physical cost too. 

Hal did look exhausted. Exhausted but also quite relieved and Bruce couldn’t help smiling at him. 

“Wow.” was the only thing Hal said, laughing quietly as he looked down at his shaky hands.

"Wow." he whispered again after a few seconds of silence. 

His gaze met Bruce's. Bruce was frowning now, and it was such a familiar sight that Hal had to laugh some more. That or he was really tired. 

“Are you okay ?” Bruce asked, touching his shoulder lightly. 

He needed the contact as much as Hal, the reassurance that both of them were real.  
Hal stopped laughing as he looked at Bruce’s hand on his shoulder. His gaze stayed focused on it as he talked. 

“You were dead 5 minutes ago.” Hal explained shortly, stubbornly not looking at Bruce. 

"A dream come true, I am sure." Bruce said but he hadn’t thought this through. 

It wasn’t the first time Hal had looked at him with such rage that but Bruce was more used to being at the receiving end of Hal’s anger in the Watchtower than in a private setting, especially his own bedroom. 

"Fuck you. I had to figure out that you died as Dick woke me up looking like Death not even warmed over so I could greet people I didn’t even know and listen to them saying how sorry they were that you died. Good fun.” Hal said, tensing. 

Bruce could have interrupted him there but he let him talk. Hal needed this, he needed to share the difficult things he had lived through recently. So Bruce stayed quiet, waiting for Hal. He didn’t have to wait for long. 

“You'd love to hear how my discussion with an adult Damian about dealing with loss after he destroyed your study went. He let me hug him. You have no idea how hard it is to go from being a childless guy to being a mourning orphan’s parental figure in no time.” Hal said, shaking his head.

Bruce resisted the urge to contradict him, Hal didn’t look like he would welcome an interruption. 

"I've not told you about the girls, have I ? They were on their fucking honeymoon when Dick contacted them. I haven’t seen him, but they said Jason was there too. And everyone looked older but I am quite certain Alfred shouldn’t have looked that old.”

Bruce looked a bit guilty then. He tried to not let Hal’s words affect him because he wasn’t that Bruce, he wasn’t that guy that had died and left a distraught family behind, but he didn’t feel that good. 

Hal was looking at him and his expression went a bit tender.

"Did I mention your granddaughter ? Tim’s kid. An angel. You should have seen the change in Cass’ facial expression when the kid called for you.” Hal said quietly. 

He had let his hand brush against Bruce’s as he said those last words. 

"What are you trying to achieve, here ?" Bruce ended up asking.

He wasn’t sure what was Hal’s goal, exactly. He wasn’t that other world’s Bruce after all. He wasn’t. 

"Engraving the idea that you'd better not die anytime soon if you don't want to miss out important stuff your kids will do in your dense mind. How is it working ?" Hal asked. 

He didn’t look as angry as before, just tired and maybe a bit… sad ? Bruce rolled his eyes.

"I am starting to regret wishing to have you back." 

"At least you wished to have me back at some point.” Hal snortled. 

His hand was still right next to Bruce’s on the mattress. Bruce covered it with his like the touch-starved human with communication issues he was. Well, he could try doing better. 

"Hal. You realized I wanted to have you back the second you were gone and never changed my mind about this, right ?” he said seriously. 

Hal laughed a bit weakly. His eyelids felt so heavy. 

“Really ? You didn’t find any better Hal out there ?” 

Bruce made a frustrated noise and turned to Hal more fully. 

“What is it with this family and thinking they’re being replaced ?” he groaned. 

There was a pause. Hal’s eyes looked larger than saucers and his mouth hung open. 

“What is it ?” Bruce asked.

Hal closed his mouth and gulped before looking back at him. 

“Family ?” he said, looking at Bruce’s hand above his, feeling the comforting warmth of his skin against his own. 

“I didn’t - my apologies.” Bruce said, taking his hand back.

“It’s okay. Just… maybe a bit too fast ? And that was a joke. I know I am the better Hal out there.” Hal said, just before yawning. 

“As irritating as it is, you are.” 

“Wait, are you sure you’re my Bruce ? Because let me tell you that this one didn’t hand out compliments like that when I left.” 

“I hate you.”

Hal cocked his head on the side for a bit, observing Bruce with raw attention. It was unsettling, how focused Hal could be despite the tiredness he had displayed before. 

“Not what you said not so long ago." he said. 

“You remembered.” Bruce said, half-smiling as Hal started to yawn again. 

“What can I say, you’re quite difficult to forget. Look, there are things we really need to talk about but I am also really tired. Look, can I just sleep here ?" Hal asked. 

"Here, here ?"

"No - here, there. You were not surprised by my presence so I supposed my double had been sleeping here at your side. That and the sheets were a bit rumpled. What, you like them older ?" Hal asked, facing Bruce’s hesitant silence. 

"You're being annoying. Just stay." Bruce said. 

Hal nodded and rolled to his side, still fully clothed. Bruce turned the light off and lied down too. They stayed silent for a bit. 

“You can take off your clothes if you want.”

There was a small silence and a laugh. 

“You’re such a child, this was an innocent remark. The offer stands, you can take off your jeans and make yourself more comfortable.” 

“Too tired.” Hal said. “Uh -”

“What, again ?” Bruce asked.

He did think Hal was dead on his feet not long ago but the Lantern seemed reluctant to fall asleep. 

"It’s just... Can I - " Hal gestured at the empty space between them. 

Bruce sighed and opened his arms. 

"Come closer." he said and Hal didn’t need to be told twice. 

"I am sorry, but you were dead and it wasn't you but you were dead and I couldn't..."

Bruce had him wrapped in his arms in seconds. It was nicer than he thought it would be, to have Hal there, safe in his arms. 

"Here you are. Satisfied with me not being dead ?" Bruce said.

"You're going to hold me all night ?" Hal whispered.

"As long as it takes to convince you I am alive.”

And me that you are really here, Bruce didn’t say. 

“What if we have changed places by morning ?” Hal asked.

“It won’t happen. And if it does, we’ll figure this out. That’s what we do.” 

“Bruce.” Hal called, and Bruce’s arms tightened a bit around him.

"Yes ?" 

Bruce was starting to think Hal was finding excuses so they wouldn’t have to go back to sleep. 

"If I wasn't so tired, I would kiss you." Hal said, yawning again. 

Bruce laughed quietly against Hal’s neck. 

"Sleep." he whispered but it didn’t stop Hal from talking.

"Bruce."

"What ?" Bruce asked, considering the pros and cons of knocking Hal unconscious. 

The pros looked ways more tantalizing than the cons seemed concerning. 

"Would you let me ?" Hal asked softly. “Would you let me kiss you ?” he repeated when he realized Bruce may have only been half listening earlier. 

"I live dangerously." Bruce answered. “Now, if you don’t mind, I'd like to go back to sleep.” he said. “You should, too - you look like you need the rest. We’ll talk later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the last chapter for the 1st part of Journeys. 
> 
> What awaits you in part 2 (but for now it's you who have to wait for it):  
> *(mostly happy) endings for each Hal/Bruce couple affected by dimension jumping  
> *the Hal and Bruce from Journeys discussing their encounters of the different Bruces and Hals and figuring out their own relationship. 
> 
> Also I have to rewrite at least a bit the second part of chapter 10 but it shouldn't affect anything much. 
> 
> This fic is partly self-indulgence, partly a gift for long time readers and partly an immersion into my universe for new readers and I am really happy to have shared this with you all.


End file.
